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Yemen Rejects Houthi Attempts to Implement Swap Deal in Stages

UN envoy Martin Griffiths, to his right, head of the delegation of the Red Cross committee in Sanaa, when they attended talks between the government and Houthis in Amman last year. (Getty Images)
UN envoy Martin Griffiths, to his right, head of the delegation of the Red Cross committee in Sanaa, when they attended talks between the government and Houthis in Amman last year. (Getty Images)
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Yemen Rejects Houthi Attempts to Implement Swap Deal in Stages

UN envoy Martin Griffiths, to his right, head of the delegation of the Red Cross committee in Sanaa, when they attended talks between the government and Houthis in Amman last year. (Getty Images)
UN envoy Martin Griffiths, to his right, head of the delegation of the Red Cross committee in Sanaa, when they attended talks between the government and Houthis in Amman last year. (Getty Images)

The Yemeni legitimate government confirmed its commitment to the full implementation of the Amman Agreement on a prisoner exchange deal with the Iran-backed Houthi militias. The agreement, which Houthis are looking to implement in stages, stipulates the release of 1,420 people in its first phase.

Human rights deputy and negotiating member Majed Fadael, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, denied the government approved to divide the deal in phases.

The agreement was brokered in April after rounds of negotiations in the Jordanian capital, Amman, under the supervision of United Nations special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths’ office.

“There are no new talks. We are only discussing what we had arrived to in the third round of talks in Amman and this involves the release of 1,420 detainees in the first stage, building up to the point where a total swap is implemented through others,” Fadael told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We have exchanged name roasters, and the swap is still underway, but we are yet to finalize the agreement on all names. There is a sufficient number of names that have been approved though and we insist that the swap includes 1,420 detainees,” Fadael added.

He stressed that the names of those to be released include detainees linked to the Arab coalition, one of the four included named in a UN Security Council resolution, journalists and the elderly.

While the Yemeni official stressed the importance of expediting the implementation of the lists of names, he accused the Houthi group of intransigence and evasiveness towards the Amman Agreement.

Rival parties in the Yemen conflict are in talks on a "quite considerable" prisoner exchange deal, a senior official from the International Committee of the Red Cross has told AFP.

"Today, the parties are talking about a prisoner release that is quite considerable, but there is still a bit of agreement that has to be made on lists" and implementation, said Franz Rauchenstein, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen.

He said the agency was working very closely with the two parties to strike a deal.

"We are very hopeful it might take place in a few days or weeks from now, and the ICRC would be ready of course to implement that logistically," Rauchenstein said in an interview at the weekend.

"But there are still a few agreements to finalize," he added.

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Arab World

Revenge Attacks in Rural Damascus Raise Human Rights Concerns

Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
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Revenge Attacks in Rural Damascus Raise Human Rights Concerns

Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)

Residents of Dummar, a suburb west of Damascus, publicly celebrated the execution of former local official Mazen Knaineh on Friday, raising alarm among civil society and human rights activists.

They called for justice and warned against lawless acts of revenge by armed groups.

Local sources said Knaineh had ties to Syrian security forces under former President Bashar al-Assad, particularly Branch 215, accused of killing detainees. Opposition figures claim he aided government raids on Dummar and Hameh in 2016.

The execution was reportedly carried out by armed locals who recently joined the new administration’s security forces. Residents had demanded his death, blaming him for the loss of many family members.

The incident has fueled calls to stop revenge killings and ensure justice is pursued legally in Syria’s fragile post-conflict period.

Civil society activists have raised concerns over the growing trend of extrajudicial executions in Syria, warning that such acts undermine the hopes of building a “new state” grounded in law and justice.

Lawyer and civil rights activist Rahada Abdosh expressed strong opposition to field executions, stating they are not a path to healing.

“Revenge will only bring more destruction to the country,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The abuse of corpses and the execution of individuals in front of children and their families is particularly troubling.”

Abdosh emphasized the need for specialized courts to prosecute those responsible for violence and bloodshed.

“We must hold everyone accountable for the harm they’ve caused,” she added.

Ahe warned that allowing groups to take action based on public complaints or accusations of crimes could repeat the abuses of the Assad regime, which carried out executions without trials.

She said this could “legitimize” the regime’s actions and noted that some accusations might be driven by personal revenge or unverified claims, risking more innocent victims.

Abdosh called on the current government to stop individual executions and abuses, urging the creation of a field court for fair trials. She stressed that transitional justice must include both acknowledging the crimes and offering compensation.

“Anything outside the law is a crime, and could be considered a war crime,” she added, highlighting that this could harm the government’s efforts to rebuild the country.

Sources close to Damascus military operations told Asharq Al-Awsat that there is increasing public pressure on the new administration to quickly deliver justice.

They noted that many families are grieving and impatient, while the government continues work on restoring security, disarming groups, and rebuilding, which will take time.

Civil activist Salma Al-Sayyad expressed her empathy for the grieving families in Dummar but warned that emotional reactions like vigilante justice could harm innocent people and fuel revenge.

“While I understand their pain and their desire for justice, I fear this could lead to more injustice,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Al-Sayyad called for a future Syria based on the rule of law, where justice is carried out through fair trials, clear evidence, and a judge.

“We need an independent judicial system,” she emphasized.

In related developments, Syria’s military operations launched a large security campaign in rural Damascus, targeting individuals connected to the ousted regime.

This has led to clashes in areas like Qudsayya, where former regime officers and loyalist fighters are concentrated.