Human Rights Official: We Demand an Immediate Halt to Negotiations with Houthis to Save Abductees Facing Execution
Yemen Monitor / Marib / Newsroom:
Fahmi Al-Zubairi, Director General of the Human Rights Office in the Capital Municipality (affiliated with the Yemeni government), has called on the government negotiating team to immediately cease all forms of negotiation with the Houthi group. He warned that the group intends to carry out “unjust” death sentences against three abductees early this week, a private escalation that threatens the political process regarding the prisoner and detainee file.
In an exclusive statement to Yemen Monitor, Al-Zubairi urged the internationally recognized Yemeni government to take a firm stance by refusing to continue consultations unless the Houthi group stops its “gross violations” against civilians. Foremost among these are the execution orders issued by Houthi-controlled courts without any legal basis or adherence to international justice standards.
On Saturday, Hassan Al-Qubaisi, a member of the government delegation, revealed to Yemen Monitor that there are active efforts to resume prisoner exchange negotiations with the Houthi group this week. He confirmed that the commitment to the January 27 deadline for finalizing this file remains in place despite the current temporary pause.
Al-Zubairi warned of an imminent danger to the lives of three abductees in the group’s prisons: Ismail Mohammed Abu al-Ghaith, Saghir Farea, and Abdulaziz al-Aqili. Reports indicate that the group may execute them within the next few days, likely tomorrow, Monday.
Al-Zubairi stated that such a step, if taken, would constitute a “war crime” and a flagrant challenge to the international community. He added that it would join a long record of violations practiced by the group to intimidate political opponents and civilians in areas under its control.
Concluding his statement, Al-Zubairi issued an urgent appeal to international and local human rights organizations, the media, and free people worldwide to act immediately and exert real pressure on the Houthi group to stop these crimes. He stressed the need to end the policy of “political executions” and work to save the abductees before it is too late.
The Yemeni government and the Houthis had previously agreed on a prisoner exchange—the first phase of which includes 2,900 individuals—headed by the prominent Yemeni politician Mohammed Qahtan.
