Yemen: Gov't condemns Houthis' arrest of ex-minister

By Mohamed Ahmed

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - The Yemeni government condemned on Sunday the arrest of a former culture minister in the capital Sanaa, which has been under the control of Houthi rebels since September 2014.

In a statement, Yemeni Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani said the government "deplores and condemns the arrest of former Yemeni Minister of Culture Khaled al-Ruwaishan from his home by the Houthis militia," according to the local Saba News Agency.

On Sunday morning, al-Ruwaishan's son, Waddah al-Ruwaishan, confirmed on Facebook his father's arrest by the Houthis, without further details.

Al-Ruwaishan is known for his critical writings on the Houthis since the outbreak of the conflict in Yemen in March 2015.

Tawfiq al-Hamidi, head of the Geneva-based rights group SAM Organization, said the arrest of al-Ruwaishan was "a condemnable act and reflects the exclusionary nature of the Houthis against any opposition voice."

Al-Ruwaishan's arrest comes one week after a Houthi court issued a non-final death sentence against four journalists among 10 captured by the Iran-backed militias since March 2015.

The country has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara