Information Minister: Houthi militia’s trial of journalists freed from its prisons undermines prisoner swap deal.

Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar al-Eryani, has accused the Iran-backed Houthi militia of blatantly violating the terms and spirit of the prisoner exchange agreement brokered by the United Nations in April 2023. Al-Eryani criticized the Houthi militia for continuing to conduct sham trials against journalists who were released from their detention as part of the exchange deal. He described these actions as a deliberate attempt to undermine any progress in resolving the issues of prisoners and abductees, highlighting the militia’s disregard for commitments and ethical principles.

In a press statement, al-Eryani detailed that the Houthi militia had kidnapped journalists Abdul-Khaleq Amran, Tawfiq al-Mansouri, Harith Hamid, and Akram al-Walidi from their workplace in June 2015. The journalists were subjected to various forms of physical and psychological torture, mistreatment, and were tried on fabricated charges, leading to death sentences issued in April 2020. Their release was eventually secured through a prisoner exchange deal.

Al-Eryani pointed out that these criminal practices are part of the Houthi militia’s broader strategy to intimidate politicians, journalists, activists, and citizens in areas under their control. He accused the militia of escalating tensions and creating obstacles to the sincere efforts made by regional and international actors to achieve peace and stability in Yemen.

The minister called on the international community, the United Nations, and its special envoy to Yemen to exert real pressure on the Houthi militia. He urged them to respect the prisoner exchange agreements, halt the trials of all abductees and detainees who were released from their unlawful detention, and refrain from using the judiciary as a tool for repression and terrorizing society. Al-Eryani also advocated for the immediate designation of the Houthi militia as a “global terrorist organization.”

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