Yemeni prisoners say they were tortured by their Houthis captors

Six Yemeni prisoners recently freed from Houthi jails said they were tortured by their Houthis captors at facilities run by the Iranian-backed militia, state news agency Saba New reported.

The internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Iran-backed Houthis swapped 484 prisoners in the first phase of a deal to release hundreds of prisoners on Oct. 15.

The men said they were subjected to physical and psychological torture from the first moment they were in jail.

The torture included receiving electric shocks, beatings, sleep deprivation, starvation and mock executions, the report added.

The prisoners were also forced to admit to crimes they did not commit and were told their wives, children and mothers would also be tortured, the report added.

The freed prisoners said they spent months in overcrowded and dark cells, and then suddenly moved to brightly lit rooms, the report added.

The men suffered serious injuries, including broken bones and dislocated spinal discs.