News - Yemen: The National Committee for Prisoners Affairs on Saturday condemned the execution of captive Issa Muqbil Ali Aoun al-Afiri by Islah Party militias in the southwestern province of Taiz, describing the act as a “heinous crime” and a flagrant violation of international law and humanitarian conventions.

In an official statement, the committee said that the Islah-affiliated militants fabricated charges against al-Afiri and conducted a sham and unlawful trial before executing him, in clear defiance of international agreements and local mediation efforts.

The committee noted that al-Afiri’s name had been officially included in the lists of prisoners submitted to the United Nations since the Stockholm Agreement of 2018, underscoring that his execution represents a blatant disregard for all signed commitments.

Expressing condolences to the martyr’s family and loved ones, the committee stressed that the perpetrators aimed to complicate the prisoner-exchange file and obstruct ongoing local and UN-brokered efforts to resolve the humanitarian issue.

It further affirmed that the crime “will not go unpunished nor be forgotten,” holding the Islah Party leadership and the Saudi regime fully responsible for the execution and its potential repercussions on the broader prisoners’ file.

The committee called on the UN Special Envoy to Yemen to assume his responsibilities regarding this case, given his full knowledge of the ongoing unlawful trials and abuses committed by Islah militias against numerous captives.

It also urged tribal and social figures across Yemen to condemn the crime, and appealed to international and local human rights organizations operating in the country to denounce the act and take necessary measures to ensure that the perpetrators face justice.

The execution of captive Issa al-Afiri comes amid renewed tensions surrounding the prisoners’ exchange negotiations between Sana'a and the Saudi-led coalition. Rights groups have repeatedly documented violations by coalition-backed factions, including the torture and killing of detainees in their custody, despite multiple UN-mediated agreements intended to secure the humane treatment and release of prisoners from all sides.