General Union of Yemeni Journalists welcomes success of prisoner swap deal

The General Union of Yemeni Journalists welcomed the success of prisoner swap deal between the Yemeni government and the Houthis during the past few days, hoping that this will be the beginning of an integrated process and the release of all detainees, abductees and activists from Houthi prisons.

"We regret the treatment of the four released journalists as prisoners of war, and their exchange for Houthi fighters. This is what encourages the Houthis to kidnap more activists and journalists, with the aim of bartering the Yemeni government with fighters affiliated with them". The Union said Monday in a statement.

It warned that the released journalists have death sentences issued by the Houthis, and urged the importance of dropping such unfair decisions against fellow journalists.

The Union calls on the Yemeni government to be aware of such a situation, and to consider that activists and journalists are prisoners of opinion, not prisoners of war, and pressure must continue on the Houthis to release hundreds of activists, unconditionally.

"We regret the weak role of the Ministry of Information regarding the issue of journalists, and its lack of ideas and hard work in defining what journalists and activists are subjected to in the Houthis controlled-areas, which have turned the governorates they control into a large prison for the majority of Yemenis". The statement added.

"We call on the Ministry of Information and Culture to play its assigned role, and work to promote this issue to confirm the danger of the Houthis to Yemenis in general and to journalists and activists in particular, and to allocate programs and organize press conferences and workshops for the released journalists in coordination with unions and human rights and media organizations to tell stories and tragedies the Yemenis detained in Houthi prisons". It said.

The Union also called on the Yemeni government to work on the psychological and physical rehabilitation of the released, and to put them into the government-affiliated media for work.