A Long-Awaited Humanitarian Opening: Nearly 2,900 Detainees Set for Release in Yemen

A United Nations-facilitated prisoner exchange agreement signed in Muscat between the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Houthi militia, providing for the release of nearly 2,900 detainees from both sides,

has been welcomed as an important humanitarian step by Women Journalists Without Chains.

The organization described the agreement, reached under UN auspices, as a long-awaited development that offers hope to thousands of detainees who have endured harsh and degrading conditions, as well as to families who have spent years living in anguish, uncertainty, and forced separation from their loved ones, often without any legal or humanitarian protection.

Women Journalists Without Chains welcomed the agreement as a positive move that reflects the urgent need to prioritize humanitarian considerations amid Yemen’s prolonged and devastating conflict. At the same time, the organization emphasized that the release of detainees is not a political favor or a bargaining chip, but a clear legal obligation under international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, which require the humane treatment of detainees and prohibit torture, ill-treatment, and arbitrary detention.

While expressing cautious optimism, Women Journalists Without Chains noted that the agreement also highlights the depth of the detention crisis in Yemen, especially in areas under Houthi control, where thousands of civilians have been subjected over the years to abduction, arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, and detention outside any legal framework. These practices, the organization said, represent serious and systematic violations of the right to liberty and personal security guaranteed under international human rights law.

In this context, Women Journalists Without Chains highlighted the case of Mohammed Qahtan, a pivotal leader of Yemen’s Islah Party whose name is included in the current exchange. His case, addressed in relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for disclosure of his fate and unconditional release, stands as a critical measure of the seriousness and credibility of progress on the detainees’ file.

The organization expressed hope that all parties, particularly the Houthi militia, will fully honor their commitments and implement the agreement without delay or obstruction. It stressed that any attempt to postpone, politicize, or selectively apply the agreement would undermine its humanitarian purpose and erode trust in future efforts to address the issue of detainees in a fair and lasting manner.

Women Journalists Without Chains further emphasized that meaningful humanitarian progress requires a comprehensive and inclusive approach. It called for the agreement to serve as a foundation for addressing the broader detention crisis in Yemen, including the release of all detainees without discrimination, the immediate clarification of the fate of the forcibly disappeared, guarantees for the physical and psychological well-being of detainees, and a definitive end to arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance.

Concluding on a welcoming and hopeful note, Women Journalists Without Chains affirmed that full and faithful implementation of the prisoner exchange agreement is both a legal and moral responsibility. When carried out in good faith, the organization said, the agreement can help ease human suffering, rebuild confidence in humanitarian processes, and contribute to creating conditions more conducive to justice, accountability, and lasting peace in Yemen.

The organization reiterated its call on all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and to work constructively toward ending detention practices that remain among the most painful and inhumane consequences of Yemen’s ongoing conflict.