A Briton imprisoned when his child was just a few months old was released after being detained in Yemen without charge or trial for five years.
Luke Simons was detained by Houthi rebels in Sanaa, the capital of the civil war-torn country, after his arrest at a checkpoint in April 2017, according to Amnesty International.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Mr Simons “will be reunited with his family soon” after a trial that saw him “allegedly abused and isolated”.
Image: Luke Simons’ release comes after two months of truce in Yemen this month
In a statement, Mr Truss said: “I am glad that Luke Simons, who was illegally detained without charge or trial in Yemen in 2017, has been released.
“Luke was 25 when he was illegally detained by the Hutus. His son was only a few months old at the time.”
“It is alleged that he was abused, isolated and refused visits from his family.
“He was flown to Muscat and will soon be reunited with his family in Britain.
“We thank our partners in Oman and Saudi Arabia for their support in securing his release.
“I pay tribute to our excellent staff for their hard work in bringing Luke home.”
According to Reuters, he was released along with his wife and child.
Mr Simons “suspected by Hutus of espionage”
Kevin Brennan, an MP from Cardiff West, is campaigning for his voter’s release and raised the issue of his illegal imprisonment with Boris Johnson during the prime minister’s questions in January.
The Labor politician tweeted: “This is great news – five years later, my voter Luke Simons has finally been released.
Mr Simons’ release comes after a two-month truce in Yemen on April 2.
This is the first nationwide ceasefire in six years in the deadly Middle East civil war that began in 2014.
In the same year, Iranian-backed Husseins seized Sana’a and forced the internationally recognized government into exile.
A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power.
Amnesty said Mr Simons was caught while at a checkpoint in the southwestern city of Taiz in the spring of 2017.
His relatives told the Human Rights Agency that they believe he was arrested because he has a British passport and is suspected by the Houthis of espionage, although he has never been formally charged with a crime.
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