Amnesty International: Al-Houthi militia arbitrarily uses the kidnapped as chess pieces in negotiations
English - Thursday 27 May 2021 الساعة 07:42 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:
Amnesty International confirmed, on Thursday, in an in-depth research report entitled: “They were released and subjected to exile: torture, unfair trials, and forced exile of Yemenis under Houthi rule,” affirming that Houthi militias are using arbitrarily detained prisoners as chess pieces in the current political negotiations.
Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the report highlights how Houthi militias used these prisoners as political chess pieces as the prisoner deals they negotiated resulted in exile and forcible removal.
Morayef added, "After years of suffering under the weight of horrific abuse and illegal detention, the release itself did not bring relief to the detainees who were dealt with in the report, as none of them were able to return to their homes and reunite with their families after years of forcible separation from them." No one may be forced to choose between remaining in unlawful detention or leaving his country or country. Under no circumstances may, when negotiating deals for the release of prisoners, negotiations include explicitly or implicitly permitting the compulsion of released detainees into exile or deportation. Forced from their homes. "
The report spoke about the exile operations upon release that a number of detainees were subjected to, including six Baha'i detainees who were exiled outside Yemen after spending up to seven years in arbitrary detention, as the organization considered the approval of some to the option of exile to save themselves a burden from imprisonment and torture. Voluntary consent. "
The report stressed that exile due to religious beliefs or political opposition constitutes a flagrant violation of international human rights law. The exile of Baha'i detainees also violates the prohibition of forced deportation stipulated in international humanitarian law, and may amount to a war crime.
The organization quoted former detainees as saying that the Houthi militia beat them with steel bars, electric cables, weapons and other things, kept them in painful positions, opened water hoses on them, and repeatedly threatened to kill them or place them in solitary confinement for periods ranging from 20 days to several months.
The report emphasized that many detainees still suffer from physical injuries and chronic health problems as a result of these violations, as well as the lack of health care they received during the period of their detention, reviewing a number of violations that journalists were subjected to in Houthi detention centers.
The Director of the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International stressed that the Houthi militia ", in addition to ending these violations immediately, must order the immediate and unconditional release of anyone arrested solely for peacefully exercising their rights - without exile or deportation."
