Army Denies Targeting Its POWs in Al-Jawf, Holds Houthis Responsible for Their Safety
The armed forces have denied the validity of claims circulated by the Houthi group regarding the death of several armed forces prisoners in one of its detention sites in Al-Jawf's Al-Hazm district, holding the group legally and ethically responsible for the safety of prisoners and detainees in its custody.
The official spokesman for the armed forces, Colonel Majid Abdullah Al-Nazili, said that the Houthi group's claims about the death of the prisoners are "untrue and misleading," considering that blaming the armed forces for their deaths is a "falsification of facts and an attempt to evade its responsibilities for the safety of the prisoners' lives."
Al-Nazili clarified that "no targeting operation was carried out inside the city of Al-Hazm," noting that the military sites in the city are under the control of the Houthi group.
He added that the group is obligated, under international law, to inform the Red Cross of any prisoner detention sites, so they can be designated as places protected from targeting in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules.
The military spokesman held the Houthi group responsible for protecting the prisoners and detainees in its custody, and for providing safe locations far from combat zones to ensure their safety and to prevent their liquidation or use as human shields, in accordance with relevant laws.
Al-Nazili affirmed that the Yemeni armed forces "do not target civilian objects and places protected by law," and that their combat operations are carried out in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
He accused the Houthi group of trying to mislead public opinion and cover up its practices and violations against prisoners and detainees, considering that blaming the armed forces for the prisoners' deaths also comes in the context of covering up the group's targeting of a market in Lahij governorate on Monday, which he said is a civilian object protected under international law and Articles 51 and 52.
At the end of his statement, Al-Nazili affirmed the professionalism of the Yemeni armed forces in carrying out their tasks in various fields and fronts, stressing that "attempts to falsify facts and evade responsibility" will not prevent the disclosure of the circumstances of what happened.
Source: Official Spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces
