Al-Murtadha: Saudi-led aggression foils 80 prisoner exchange deals in 2021

Abdul Qadir al-Murtadha, chairman of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, said it had been expected that 2021 would see the biggest achievement in the prisoners’ file, despite continued obstructions by Saudi-led aggression.

He pointed out that Saudi Arabia “has full control over the prisoners file,” stressing that “the mercenaries have no decision power except with the approval of Saudi officers, and many exchange deals have failed because of Saudi Arabia.”

“The aim of Saudi intransigence is that it wants to have a deal involving all of its officers and soldiers. We told them we are ready to release everyone, but they want us to release the Saudis without them releasing our prisoners,” Abdul Qadir al-Murtadha told Al-Masirah TV.

He noted that 2021 saw the liberation of 400 prisoners from the army and Popular Committees in 60 local exchanges, compared to 80 operations that failed due to Saudi directives despite having reached prior consensus with those concerned.

On the Sudanese prisoners, al-Murtadha said that there is no party negotiating for the Sudanese prisoners.

“We have asked the United Nations to have a Sudanese party concerned with prisoners file,” he added.

Al-Murtadha concluded by saying, “There were several meetings with the UN during 2021, on many issues related to prisoners, and we hope that there will be a breakthrough in this file.”