Riyadh Requests Visiting Its Prisoners, Sana’a Requires Protection of Prisons

YemenExtra

M.A.

Member of the Supreme Political Council Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi met, on Tuesday, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer and his accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, Al-Houthi confirmed that the Supreme Political Council and the Salvation Government are providing all facilities to the Committee to practice its activities, including allowing its teams to visit places of detention and to interview prisoners.

Al-Houthi pointed to the need for the Committee to understand the fears that occurred because of the recent bombing of the detention center in Dhamar. He noted that there are directives issued by the Ministry of Defense to provide the ICRC coordinates of the headquarters of the new prisoners to carry out its mission, to avoid the coalition bombing of prisoners in the future.

He called on the ICRC not to prejudice its role, as happened in the evacuation of the wounded from Ad-Durayhimi city, although the Red Cross has the right to evacuate even the military, urging the Red Cross to have an active role in implementing the Stockholm Agreement on the exchange of prisoners.

Al-Houthi welcomed establishing independent investigation committees into the bombing of detention centers to uncover the facts, calling on the president of the ICRC to bring whatever experts he wants to the targeted place in Dhamar to investigate.

“We are very pleased to reveal the truth even if it is against us. We will never cover up the crime and I defy the other party to accept this.”

Al-Houthi called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to have a role in the repatriation of Yemeni prisoners of French origin who were arrested years ago on suspicion of belonging to Al-Qaeda and to return them to France at their request.

Almasirah English