Armed Forces Spokesman Holds Houthi Militia Accountable for Prisoners’ Safety
September Net:
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Col. Majed Al-Nuzaili held the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia responsible for the safety and protection of prisoners and detainees held in its custody.
He said the militia bears both legal and moral responsibility for their safety and must provide secure detention sites away from areas of fighting to ensure their protection, and must not target them or use them as human shields, in accordance with relevant laws.
In a statement, Col. Al-Nuzaili said claims circulated by the Houthi terrorist militia that a number of Yemeni Armed Forces prisoners had been killed at one of its detention sites in Al-Hazm District, Al-Jawf Governorate, were false and misleading.
He said the claims were an attempt to hold the Yemeni Armed Forces responsible for the deaths and to evade the militia’s own responsibility for the safety of the prisoners in its custody.
Al-Nuzaili confirmed that no strike had been carried out inside Al-Hazm city. He said military sites in the city are under Houthi control and that the militia is required under international law to notify the International Committee of the Red Cross of any locations where prisoners are being held, so that such sites can be protected from targeting under international humanitarian law and customary rules.
The spokesman stressed that the Armed Forces do not target civilian objects or sites protected under international law and that their military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
He said the Houthi militia’s attempt to blame the Armed Forces for the deaths of prisoners is part of its established practice of misleading public opinion and covering up its actions and violations against prisoners and detainees.
He said the militia’s claims were also aimed at diverting domestic and international attention from the Houthi militia’s attack on a local market in Lahj Governorate on Monday, which was a civilian object protected under international law, including Articles 51 and 52.
The statement affirmed the professionalism of the Armed Forces in carrying out their duties across all fronts and battlefields, praising the sacrifices of its personnel, which will be remembered in history and appreciated by the Yemeni people.
It added that the Houthi militia’s attempts to distort the facts and evade responsibility would not prevent the circumstances of the incident from being uncovered.
The statement concluded by praying for mercy for the martyrs, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery, and expressing hope for victory for Yemen and its people.