Head of National Prisoners Authority: UN Envoy’s Silence on Houthi Abuses Is “Complicity,” Talks Must Be Based on “Humanitarian Standards”
Yemen Monitor / Marib / Exclusive:
Radwan Masoud, head of Yemen’s National Authority for Prisoners and Detainees, said that the silence of the UN envoy’s office—acting as a mediator—regarding the Houthi group’s ongoing abductions and death sentences effectively makes it a partner in the group’s actions.
In an exclusive statement to Yemen Monitor, Masoud said the current round of UN-sponsored consultations in the Omani capital, Muscat, is taking place while the Houthi group continues to put detainees on trial and issue death sentences against abductees, including several employees of UN agencies, while also persisting in widespread kidnapping campaigns. He said the continued silence of the envoy’s office renders it complicit in these violations.
Masoud argued that the proposal of an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange is often used as a delaying tactic and is not practically feasible. He explained that the Houthis submit lists containing the names of their fighters who were killed or went missing on the frontlines and demand them alive as part of exchange deals—an approach he described as a preemptive obstruction of any “all-for-all” agreement.
He stressed that consultations between the Yemeni government delegation and the Houthi delegation must be grounded in clear humanitarian standards, foremost among them prioritizing prisoners and abductees who have spent long periods in detention, as well as giving consideration to medical cases.
Masoud said adherence to such standards would help overcome what he described as discrimination practiced by the Houthi group in the prisoners’ file, noting that the group limits its demands to specific categories, which he said continues to block any meaningful progress in negotiations.
A new round of consultations between the Yemeni government and the Houthi group is currently underway in Muscat focusing on the prisoners and abductees file, after being delayed for a week due to conditions imposed by the Houthis.
Meanwhile, rights groups have called on the United Nations not to engage with the head of the Houthi delegation, Abdulqader Al-Murtada, who is accused of involvement in abuses against abductees, including the direct torture of journalists.
