Ansarollah Website. Report 

In a long-awaited humanitarian step, and in 14 weeks of hard work and intensive negotiations, the completion of the prisoner exchange negotiations was announced , Thursday, in the Jordanian capital, Amman. Lists were signed including 1,680 prisoners and detainees: 1,100 from Sana'a side and 580 from Saudi-led coalition, including 7 Saudis and 20 Sudanese. The announcement was made by Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, head of the National Committee for Prisoner Affairs, who confirmed that implementation will take place after the completion of procedures with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

His Excellency Field Marshal Mahdi al-Mashat, Chairman of the Supreme Political Council, welcomed the signing of the prisoner exchange agreement. In a phone call with Abdul Qader al-Murtada, Head of the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, and Major General Yahya Abdullah al-Razami, Commander of Hamdan Axis, he expressed his gratitude for the efforts made to ensure the success of this agreement. He affirmed that Sana'a has provided and continues to provide all necessary facilities to fully resolve this humanitarian issue and secure the release of all prisoners and abductees held by the US-Saudi aggression and its mercenaries, in accordance with the principle of "all for all," as agreed upon in the roadmap.

He stated, "We assure the families of our dear prisoners that their suffering and the suffering of their sons are our top priority, and that they will return soon, God willing." He also emphasized that the Supreme Political Council has spared no effort in working to achieve the release of all prisoners through all possible means until their liberation and safe return to their families is realized.

Saudi Arabia's Continued Obstruction of the Prisoner Exchange

Due to its persistent intransigence and deliberate obstruction of the prisoner exchange file—a purely humanitarian issue, a single, indivisible unit that must be addressed as such to facilitate its resolution—this file has remained mired in a cycle of agreements followed by reneging by the Saudi side and its mercenaries, all while maintaining the status quo.

At each stage, there was optimism that the other side was beginning to understand its obligations towards the prisoners, but the process always ended in the same place, with the Saudi side obstructing and complicating the preparation and implementation of any agreement.

In mid-October 2020, the largest prisoner exchange under UN supervision took place, involving the release of 1,080 prisoners. In April 2023, a deal was implemented that resulted in the release of approximately 900 prisoners and detainees from both sides, including 7 Saudis and 23 Sudanese from the Saudi-led coalition forces. Since then, no similar exchanges have occurred, except for minor efforts facilitated by local mediators.

Since then, the efforts of the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, led by its chairman Abdul Qader al-Murtada, to end the suffering of prisoners on both sides have been evident. However, these efforts have not been met with any positive response from the other side, as evidenced by the rounds of talks that were not preceded by any genuine intention to resolve this issue.

It has become apparent that the Saudi side – in this context – has disclaimed its responsibility towards its prisoners and the prisoners of those who fought with it. Whenever the Prisoners Affairs Committee takes the initiative to stirring things up , the other side plays with words and deludes others into thinking there is a positive response before the negotiating table or what comes after reveals the lack of readiness and will to resolve this issue. This has given many observers the impression that the desire is not yet mature within the coalition of aggression to address this humanitarian issue, which is not susceptible to exploitation, bidding, or blackmail.

Returning to the Beginning After Agreeing to Resolve the Prisoner File

The Prisoners' Affairs Committee continued to speak of a comprehensive prisoner exchange deal, while the other side held a different view, insisting on an exchange based on specific, agreed-upon numbers that would include only mercenary leaders and Saudi prisoners. However, this agreement never materialized.

At the end of last December, Al-Murtada announced "Muscat" agreement following negotiations held in the Omani capital from December 9-23, co-chaired by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The agreement aimed to resolve the prisoner file by exchanging approximately 2,900 prisoners and detainees—1,700 from the national side and 1,200 from the other side. The first phase was scheduled to begin on January 27, 2026, but its implementation, as usual, stalled.

Abdul Qader Al-Murtada revealed at the time that the matter was due to disagreements between the Saudi-affiliated parties regarding the implementation of the exchange deal. Some wanted to implement the deal, while others did not want to implement it at the moment for political reasons, which resulted in "the other party delaying the submission of the lists of prisoners within the time specified under the Muscat Agreement."

Exploiting a Humanitarian Issue for Political Gain

On January 25, 2025, in a humanitarian gesture, the Yemeni government unilaterally released 153 individuals captured during the war. This act embarrassed the Saudi-led coalition and exposed the hypocrisy of their claims regarding their prisoners. Meanwhile, in May 2022, Saudi Arabia claimed to have implemented a similar humanitarian initiative by releasing 163 Yemeni army prisoners. However, Al-Murtada revealed the falsity of the Saudi-affiliated media's claims about the release of this group of prisoners, pointing out two discrepancies. First, the list submitted to the committee "contained a number of names different from what Saudi Arabia announced," revealing that only 126 detainees were actually released. Second, "they are not our prisoners and are unknown to us." Al-Murtada stated, "We informed the Red Cross that we are not concerned with them, and the coalition countries must stop exploiting and using this purely humanitarian issue for political gain."

Saudi Arabia Bans Local Prisoner Exchanges

A prime example of the Saudi-led coalition's (and specifically Saudi Arabia's, which has the final say in every detail of the aggression and the detention of Yemeni army prisoners) lack of commitment is its ban on prisoner exchanges that were previously carried out in coordination with local entities. In 2021, the so-called Joint Operations Room of the Saudi-led coalition issued strict directives to its field commanders, including its mercenaries, to halt all locally agreed-upon prisoner exchanges, whether individual or collective. According to Abdul Qader al-Murtada, head of the National Committee for Prisoner Affairs in Yemen, any exchange would be conducted only through the so-called Joint Committee, headed by Saudi intelligence officers, which completely controls the prisoner file. Al-Murtada explained this move as stemming from Saudi Arabia's fear that local agreements could lead to rapprochement among Yemenis regarding negotiations on the prisoner file, and that this rapprochement could lead to greater cooperation on other issues. He added that Saudi Arabia also desires to maintain complete control and supervision over this file, denying its mercenaries any real authority in it.

Violations and Brutal Torture Leading to Death

Furthermore, the aggression coalition has revealed a stark contradiction between its actions and any commitment to ethical principles in the treatment of prisoners. Human rights reports and field testimonies have documented numerous violations that contravene the tenets of Islam and international laws and conventions. Over the past years, testimonies from released prisoners have documented practices that humanitarian and human rights organizations have deemed violations.

Prisoners in the aggression coalition's prisons are subjected to various forms of brutal physical torture, including severe beatings, whipping, needle pricks, burns, and electric shocks. Several cases have resulted in death due to severe torture and deliberate medical neglect within these prisons.

Testimonies and data analysis, including the denial of access to detention facilities for international committees, reveal that prisoners are living in appalling conditions, including detention in secret (undeclared) prisons, in blatant violation of humanitarian principles and international law. Under these conditions, prisoners are subjected to deliberate deprivation of food, medical care, and necessary medications for the sick and wounded. Furthermore, they endure systematic psychological torture through severe psychological pressures designed to damage their mental state, not to mention the secrecy and obstruction of information regarding their names and identities.