Houthis pardon 12 held for ‘supporting Saudi coalition’

The Houthi group in Yemen yesterday announced that it had released 12 detainees in the central province of Dhamar.

According to the Saba news agency, which is run by the group, the 12 “were caught on their way to joining the ranks of aggression” , in reference to government forces backed by the Saudi-led Arab alliance.

The agency quoted the Undersecretary of the province of Dhamar, Fahd Abdul Hamid Al-Marouni, as saying that the detainees were released after receiving an amnesty from the group. No details were given as to how long they had been detained.

Houthis took control of the capital Sanaa and several Yemeni provinces at the end of 2014. They have since arrested scores of people for their alleged support for the Saudi-led coalition which is fighting to restore power to the internationally recognised government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Both sides have been accused, by rights groups, of committing war crimes.

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