Rights group: Yemen’s Houthis ban entry of medicine, food to detainees

The Yemeni Abductees Mothers’ Association said yesterday that the Houthis have prevented the entry of medicine and food to the detainees in Sana’a’s central prison despite the outbreak of the coronavirus in the facility.

The association explained in an urgent statement that the families of some of the detainees in Sanaa central prison have said that the Houthis have prevented the detainees from receiving food and medicine sent by their families despite the outbreak of COVID- 19 inside the prison.

According to the statement, the families have complained about the Houthis’ mistreatment of their children in the central prison.

It quoted the detainees’ families as saying that “their children are starving while the armed Houthi group continues to detain them in one cell, without medication and without any regard to their health while ignoring the precautionary measures”.

Earlier on Saturday, the association reported that a detainee in Sanaa central prison has contracted the coronavirus while others are suspected of having caught the disease.

According to the association, the prison has one isolation unit which lacks healthcare means.

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