UN agencies and NGOs expressed “grave concern” on Saturday regarding the referral for criminal prosecution of numerous staff members who have been “arbitrarily detained” by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, calling for their immediate release.
The Iran-backed Houthis have detained dozens of personnel from UN and humanitarian organizations, most since June, alleging they are part of a “US-Israeli spy network,” a claim the United Nations categorically denies.
“We are extremely worried about the reported referral for ‘criminal prosecution’ by the Houthi de facto authorities of many arbitrarily detained colleagues,” stated a joint release from leaders of affected UN entities and international NGOs.
So far, the Houthi authorities have not made any official announcement regarding this matter.
Signatories to the statement include WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, UN human rights chief Volker Turk, and Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar.
Since the onset of Yemen’s civil war in 2014, rights groups report that the Houthis have kidnapped, arbitrarily detained, and tortured hundreds of civilians, including UN and NGO workers.
In June, the Houthis detained 13 UN personnel, including six from the Human Rights Office, along with more than 50 NGO staff members and an embassy official. They accused these individuals of being part of “an American-Israeli spy network,” allegations firmly rejected by the UN Human Rights Office.
Two other UN human rights staff members have been held since November 2021 and August 2023, respectively, and all are currently incommunicado.
In early August, the Houthis stormed the UNHCR office, forcing staff to surrender the keys and seizing documents and property, though they returned these later that month.
The statement’s signatories reiterated their “urgent appeal for the immediate and unconditional release” of all detained staff members.
The Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and control most of the country’s major population centers, causing the internationally recognized government to retreat to Aden. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to support the struggling government.
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