Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Sanaa - Asharq Al-Awsat

Human Rights Group Accuses Houthis of Using 400 Abductees as Human Shields

Followers of the Houthi militias raise their weapons during a demonstration in Sanaa April 16, 2015. (Reuters)

An Ibb-based human rights group in Yemen has accused the Iran-backed Houthi militias of transferring 400 captives to be used as human shields from one of the group’s detention centers to a camp in southern Sanaa.

The Association of Mothers of Abductees said Monday that armed Houthis transferred the abductees from inside the central prison to a military area exposed to air strikes.

“We have been informed at the Association of Mothers of the Abductees on Monday morning that Houthis have dressed the captives inside the central prison in Sanaa in the air force uniform and transferred them to the Central Security Camp in the Area of Al-Sabeen," the association said in a press release distributed to the media.

The Association noted that the Houthis had made the prisoners believe they were getting released.

The militias are held liable for the lives of abductees after being transferred to a military zone that had previously been hit by coalition airstrikes.

"We have previously lost dozens of our abducted children after being detained in the military police in Sanaa and the prison of Dhamar Community College, during which dozens of our kidnapped civilian children were killed," the Association said.

It called on the Red Cross, the United Nations and human rights organizations to act swiftly and take action to save the lives of the detainees and free them unconditionally.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.