Group says 864 in custody after protests last March

Sana'a: A total of 864 people involved in violent protests south of Yemen have been detained since last March, reports a human rights group.

Dr Mohammad Al Mekhlafi, Chairman of the Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights (YOHR) said that his organisation has documented by names 487 detention cases from March 30 to June 30.

"On July 7, 306 people from Aden were put in custody and on July 22, 58 people were detained including 18 people from one family - the family of Ba Malam from Hadhramout," said Al Mekhlafi. Most of those detainees have already been released. Some 70 remain in prisons, according to the YOHR. About 40 people were detained from Radfan in Lahj on July 22, he said.

About 29 from among 95 political detainees were transferred from the southern provinces to the prisons of the capital Sana'a, said Al Mekhlafi.

Al Mekhlafi, who is also the chairman of the defence panel for those already on trial said the charges of inciting disunity are fabricated. "All those detainees were practicing rights guaranteed by the constitution and law," he said.