British man held for five years in Yemen without charge is freed | Yemen

A British man who was held captive in Yemen with out cost or trial for 5 years has been launched from jail.

In 2017, Luke Symons, 30, was detained by Houthi rebels at a safety checkpoint on suspicion of espionage.

On Sunday, the international secretary, Liz Truss, confirmed Symons “would shortly be reunited together with his household”. She thanked Omani and Saudi negotiators in addition to UK International Workplace workers as he was launched alongside 13 different international nationals in Yemen.

Symons, from Cardiff, has longstanding connections to the war-torn nation and travelled there in 2012, the place he met his spouse, Tagreed, a Yemeni nationwide.

The couple, who’ve a younger son, tried to flee the nation throughout the battle however Symons was stopped at a checkpoint the place he was discovered with a British passport and accused of being a spy, a declare his household sturdy denies.

Amnesty Worldwide has lengthy campaigned for his launch and was informed by his household that he had been overwhelmed by his captors in an try and extract a confession and his arm had been damaged.

The Briton was being held in solitary confinement in a jail in Sana’a, the capital, and informed relations the situations have been affecting his bodily and psychological well being.

Kevin Brennan, Labour MP for Cardiff West, tweeted that it was “terrific information” that his constituent had lastly been launched.

He added: “Due to all on the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] and most of all to Luke’s household for his or her tireless campaigning.”

Brennan mentioned Symons’ spouse and son had left Yemen with him.

Truss mentioned: “I’m happy that Luke Symons, who was unlawfully detained, with out cost or trial since 2017 in Yemen, has been launched.

“Luke was 25 when he was unlawfully detained by the Houthis. His son was just a few months outdated on the time. He was allegedly mistreated, in solitary confinement, and refused visits by his household.

“He has been flown to Muscat and shortly he shall be reunited together with his household within the UK.

“We thank our Omani and Saudi companions for his or her assist in securing his launch.

“I pay tribute to our glorious workers for his or her onerous work in returning Luke house.”

Symons’ launch comes after a two-month truce was carried out in Yemen on 2 April. It’s the first nationwide ceasefire previously six years within the Center Jap nation’s lethal civil battle, which erupted in 2014. That yr, Iranian-backed Houthis seized Sana’a and compelled the internationally recognised authorities into exile. A Saudi-led coalition entered the battle in early 2015 to attempt to restore the federal government to energy.