Houthis release 159 detainees in Sanaa: ICRC

ICRC-facilitated release

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced on Saturday that Yemen's Houthi group has released 159 detainees from custody in the capital Sanaa, with the humanitarian organization's delegates providing logistical and medical support for their return to their families. The unilateral release was carried out by authorities in Sanaa with ICRC support, the organization said, adding that delegates interviewed the detainees prior to their release, informed their families of their status and arranged assistance for their journey home.

Medical teams assessed the health and fitness of the former detainees for road travel and arranged additional travel support for those who needed it. The ICRC stressed that it played no role in determining who or how many people would be released, noting that the initiative was launched by the Houthi-affiliated National Committee for Prisoners Affairs and does not fall under the Stockholm Agreement, the 2018 UN-brokered deal between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthis.

Houthi amnesty

The Houthis said on Friday the detainees were prisoners who "voluntarily surrendered without fighting during the recent events." The group said they were being released under an amnesty issued by Mahdi al-Mashat, head of its Supreme Political Council, and that local authorities would coordinate their return to their families and home areas.

Yemen conflict

The release comes amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition. The Houthis have controlled the capital Sanaa and large parts of northern and western Yemen since 2014, while the Saudi-led coalition intervened in the conflict in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.