[24 March 2008]

SANA'A, March 24 (Saba) - Yemen received last Saturday a letter from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regarding confirmation on the US arrest of 16 Yemenis in Iraq since the US-led war on Iraq in 2003.

The Saba-run alsyasia newspaper reported on Monday that the letter had noted that the Yemeni detainees were detained without charges and not tried in addition to their health conditions are deteriorating.

A source at Human Rights Ministry said that the US held many Yemenis in Iraq, noting that ICRC's letter confirmed many Yemenis were held as the US broke in several residential areas in Iraq with the aim at seizing non-Iraqi people who came there to resist the invaders.

FR/YA

Saba