The Abductees’ Mothers Association strongly condemns and denounces the Houthi group’s decision to postpone the prisoner and detainee exchange, the first phase of which was scheduled to take place on Saturday July 11, under the auspices of the United Nations and the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This move reflects a blatant disregard for the suffering of thousands of Yemeni families who have waited with hope for this moment for more than a decade.
This postponement is not merely the suspension of a humanitarian process; it is a devastating blow that has inflicted renewed pain on mothers, wives, and children who had lived in anticipation of being reunited with their loved ones. Many families had already endured the hardship and expense of traveling to the designated governorates to receive their relatives, only to see their hopes shattered at the last moment.
Using the issue of prisoners and detainees as a bargaining chip for political leverage or narrow interests constitutes a grave violation of humanitarian principles. It demonstrates the continued exploitation of civilian suffering as a tool of political pressure and blackmail—an approach that is both morally and legally unacceptable.
The Abductees’ Mothers Association holds the Houthi group fully responsible for obstructing the exchange process and for the severe humanitarian and psychological consequences this decision has inflicted on thousands of affected families. The Association calls on the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN Special Envoy, and all parties facilitating the exchange process not to tolerate any obstruction under any pretext. It urges them to take a clear and firm stance to ensure the implementation of humanitarian commitments, free from political calculations.
Continued leniency toward those who obstruct prisoner release agreements only encourages further intransigence and evasion of obligations. It also undermines confidence in any future negotiations or agreements and prolongs the suffering of thousands of abductees, detainees, and their families.
The Association stresses that the success of prisoner exchange operations is not merely a humanitarian obligation; it is a genuine test of the parties’ commitment to building confidence, addressing the consequences of war, and paving the way toward a just peace that places human dignity at the forefront.
The Abductees’ Mothers Association renews its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all abductees, detainees, and forcibly disappeared persons, and urges that this humanitarian issue be kept free from political bargaining or calculations. Freedom is a fundamental right, and any further delay only prolongs suffering that has already lasted far too long.