In a statement received by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), the Center denounced the aggression coalition’s reneging on the understandings reached under the auspices of the United Nations last May, concerning the release of more than 1,600 prisoners and detainees from all sides, despite the completion of all preparations, procedures, and flights by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, under the supervision of the United Nations.
The issue of prisoners and detainees is considered one of the most prominent forms of the coalition’s aggression since 2015, given its serious repercussions for peace and security in Yemen. This was confirmed by the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts, which documented the coalition’s recruitment of mercenaries in its reports, including comprehensive report (S/2018/192) covering the period 2015, paragraph (142), which states: “The Panel also notes reports indicating that the United Arab Emirates is deploying ‘mercenaries,’ and this deployment increases the likelihood of violations of international humanitarian law.”
The statement pointed out that the obstruction and delays in humanitarian action constitute a blatant violation of fundamental rights and a complete disregard for the escalating human suffering of hundreds of prisoners and their families, who endure the bitterness of waiting and anxiety about the fate of their loved ones. He explained that despite clear understandings and mutually agreed-upon lists, the aggressor forces and their affiliated mercenary militias deliberately fabricate pretexts and obstacles in every round of negotiations to thwart the agreed-upon deal.
The Yemeni Center for Human Rights affirmed that the procrastination and stalling not only reflect a lack of political will but also reveal the aggression coalition’s insistence on using this humanitarian issue as a tool for political and military pressure and bargaining. This contradicts humanitarian and ethical values and constitutes a compounded crime and a grave violation of the rules of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The statement explained that prolonging arbitrary detention, psychological manipulation of prisoners and their families, and deliberately concealing or obstructing their release constitute collective punishment affecting thousands of civilians related to prisoners and detainees. It noted that every day the agreement’s implementation is delayed means the continuation of the humanitarian tragedy and the inhumane and degrading treatment prohibited under international law, and the deliberate denial of hundreds of mothers and children from seeing their loved ones amidst one of the world’s greatest humanitarian disasters.
The Center held the Saudi-led and Emirati-backed aggression coalition and its mercenary militias fully legally and morally responsible for the lives and safety of all prisoners and for their continued suffering.
It reiterated his call for the immediate and full implementation of the prisoner exchange agreement based on the principle of “all for all,” considering it the only radical solution to completely resolve this humanitarian issue, free from politicization and fragmentation.
The Yemeni Center for Human Rights called on the international community, particularly the United Nations, the Security Council, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to exert real and effective pressure on the coalition countries, their mercenaries, and affiliated militias to cease obstructing this process and to fulfill their signed commitments.
