Eritrean authorities release 67 Yemeni fishermen after months of detention

Eritrean authorities have released 67 Yemeni fishermen after months of imprisonment, during which they were tortured.

Abdul Malik Sabra, the deputy chairman of General Authority for Fisheries in the Red Sea, said a total of 67 Yemeni fishermen were released, including eight from Hodeida and 59 from Al-Khawkha district.

He considered the repeated targeting of fishermen by the Eritrean authorities a violation of international conventions and norms, calling on the international community and human rights organizations to intervene urgently to release the remaining Yemeni fishermen in Eritrean prisons and work to stop all crimes against them.

During their reception today, at the fishing port in Hodeida, fishermen said they were abducted while fishing in the Yemeni waters.

They asserted that the Eritrean authorities confiscated their property and fishing gear and subjected them to various forms of torture and hard labor in conjunction with starvation.

It is noteworthy that hundreds of Yemeni fishermen are still languishing under torture in Eritrean prisons, according to official and human rights sources specialized in fishermen’s affairs.