Mwatana Welcomes the Preliminary Agreement on the Release of Conflict-Related Detainees in Yemen
Mwatana for Human Rights welcomed the announcement made today, Tuesday, 23 December 2025, by the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen regarding the reaching of an agreement on a new phase of the release of detainees from all parties in connection with the armed conflict in Yemen. The announcement came at the conclusion of the tenth meeting of the Supervisory Committee tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement on the release of detainees.
The meeting, which lasted twelve days, was held in the Omani capital, Muscat, as part of the work of the Supervisory Committee responsible for implementing the detainee release agreement. The committee is jointly chaired by the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih, Vice Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, stated: “This agreement comes at a time when campaigns of arbitrary detention have escalated. It represents a pivotal step and offers hope for the possibility of moving forward on this heavy humanitarian file.” He added: “Arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance constitute some of the darkest aspects of the Yemeni conflict, with thousands of victims and their families enduring profound suffering. We hope this step will serve as a prelude to the release of all detainees.”
Mwatana commended all efforts that led to this agreement, foremost among them the efforts of the United Nations, represented by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. It called for intensified efforts to enable the release of all detainees, the disclosure of the fate of those forcibly disappeared, and an end to the ongoing suffering of victims and their families.
