Houthi detainees held in connection with the rebellion in the far north were abused at political security jails in Saada and other provinces, the Houthi information bureau said on Monday.

The spokesman for the Houthi Group Muhammad Abdul Salam said in a statement to the Alsahwa website that their detainees were brutally tortured at jail.

We obtained information that one of the detainees had died under torture, said Abdul Salam, as he held the government responsible for the abuse of the detainees. "We urge an investigation into the abuse and other illegal acts against the war prisoners."

Meanwhile, the website quoted its correspondent in Saada as saying that the riot police were seen rushing to the political security prison, but the reason was unclear.

The government and the group reached early this year a ceasefire ending a six-year war in northern Yemen, but sporadic clashes between Houthis and tribes have since left many casualties.