Aden (South24)

The Iran-backed Houthi militia have executed four prisoners of war belonging to the Southern forces, in scant respect for the rules of war, a spokesperson of the forces told ‘South24 Center’.

Colonel Mohammed Al-Naqib, official spokesman for the Southern forces, told 'South24 Center' today that "the Houthi militias executed four of our soldiers on Saturday who they had captured on the Al-Qurain front in Al-Masemir district in Lahj Governorate in September."

"We condemn this crime that violates all human values, the rules of war, and international law," he added.

Al-Naqib stressed that the Houthis' execution of the POWs reveals the state of terror existing under the militia.

#BREAKING

Commander of Al-Anad Axis and military and media officials visited the Southern forces stationed on Al-Masemir front in Lahj Governorate #south24 pic.twitter.com/1rkHRMKCv3

— South24 | English (@South24E) December 10, 2024

The Houthis have not yet commented on these accusations.

The Southern spokesman named the executed prisoners as: Bilal Fadl Harbi, Mohsen Mohammed Nasser, Malik Ahmed Saeed, and Walid Ahmed Saleh.

In a separate but related context, the United States imposed new sanctions yesterday (Monday) on the Houthi National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs (HNCPA) and its head, Abdulqader Hasan Yahya al-Murtadha.

The US Treasury Department designated al-Murtadha and the HNCPA under Executive Order No. 13818, due to serious human rights violations.

The ministry said that Houthi prisons, such as Dar Al-Sarf in Sanaa, are subjected to harsh practices that include torture, mock executions, and depriving prisoners of medical care.

Prisoners released from Houthi prisons had previously told the ‘South24 Center’, they were tortured by Abdulqader al-Murtadha himself, and described him as "addicted to torture, and he does not rest until he tortures the abductees."

The torture, according to the testimony of one of the prisoners, included "the use of electricity, beatings, and hanging prisoners upside down by the legs. He also witnessed an attack on another prisoner using bricks."

On November 28, 2023, a team of experts affiliated with the United Nations Security Council accused al-Murtadha of committing crimes of torture, calling for an international investigation to protect human rights in Yemen.