The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is aware of reports that the Philippine government has confirmed the release of the 17 Filipino seafarers who were held in Yemen in November 2023.
“We share the joy in this news, as the seafarers will finally be reunited with their families after more than one year,” said Johannes Bruwer, head of the ICRC delegation in the Philippines.
“As a neutral humanitarian organization, the ICRC, through its delegation in Yemen, visited the 25 detained seafarers of MV Galaxy Leader—17 of whom were Filipinos—twice: once in May 2024, followed by another in September 2024. These humanitarian visits were aimed at determining their conditions of detention, and to pass news from their families through Red Cross messages that were collected in our offices located in the countries of origin of the crew members, including our Manila office,” he added.
The ICRC visits people detained in relation to the conflict to ensure their proper treatment and monitor conditions of detention; and traces, restores contact or reunites family members who got separated or went missing because of armed conflict or other situations of violence. With the Philippine Red Cross and our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners worldwide, we reconnect families who are separated by disaster or migration.
Family members who are searching for loved ones who may be missing or detained in relation to the armed conflict may contact the ICRC’s offices in Makati, Butuan, Cotabato or Zamboanga cities. The ICRC, through its wide network among state and nonstate groups, and access to detention facilities in the Philippines, will strive to help families connect with their loved ones.
The ICRC is not involved in negotiations for the release of people detained in relation to the conflict. It focuses on humanitarian concerns that detainees may have; and facilitate—if requested—the safe and dignified return of released detainees around the world.
