By Gulsen Topcu
ADEN, Yemen (AA) – Yemen’s minister for information called for an urgent investigation into deaths and torture of prisoners kept in the Houthi prisons.
Muammar al-Eryani demanded an “urgent and transparent investigation” about the prisoners who died of psychological and physical torture, SABA news agency Thursday citied him as saying. The minister did not give the number of prisoners who lost their lives.
Eryani urged the UN and the International Committee of the Red Crescent (ICRC) to examine the health conditions of the prisoners released. He stated that some of them have become physically handicapped and are going through psychological problems.
The Yemeni government and the Houthi rebel group started Thursday to exchange prisoners in line with a swap deal between them.
During Thursday’s exchange, the government released 470 prisoners and the Houthis freed 240.
On Sept. 27, a joint statement by the ICRC and the UN announced a deal in Geneva between the Houthis and the Yemeni government to exchange 1,081 prisoners, including 15 Saudis and four Sudanese.
Meanwhile, Yemeni Journalists Syndicate called on the UN to ensure the release of all imprisoned journalists.
Five journalists were released on Thursday under the prisoner swap deal, according to a written statement by the syndicate.
Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.
*Writing by Dilan Pamuk
