The Houthis in Yemen kicked off the trial of detainees from UN agencies and international aid organizations by referring them to a prosecution operating under their authority in Sanaa and specialized in state security and terrorism cases.
The move has raised the concern of heads of UN entities and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) whose employees are being forcibly held by the Houthis.
They expressed “grave concern” and renewed calls for their immediate release.
The Iran-backed Houthis have, since early June, arrested and forcibly disappeared dozens of people, including at least 13 UN staff and many employees of nongovernmental organizations operating in their controlled territories.
The militia has expanded its campaign to include more than 70 employees of international and local organizations in areas under its control in northern and western Yemen, and has accused them of spying for foreign parties.
In response to the Houthi measure, heads of UN entities and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) issued a statement on Saturday, renewing urgent calls for the immediate release of their staff arbitrarily detained by the Houthi authorities in Yemen, amid reports that some of them may now face “criminal prosecution.”
The signatories of the statement included the UN Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UNDP head Achim Steiner, UNESCO head Audrey Azoulay, UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, UN human rights chief Volker Turk and Oxfam International executive director Amitabh Behar.
The group emphasized that the reported referral to “criminal prosecution” further raised serious concerns.
“Six OHCHR staff – one woman and five men – were arbitrarily arrested by the de facto authorities in June together with seven other UN personnel. A further two OHCHR staffers and two colleagues from other UN agencies have been detained and held “incommunicado” since 2021 and 2023 respectively,” they wrote in the joint statement.
“At a time when we were hoping for the release of our colleagues, we are deeply distressed by this reported development,” they said, adding that the potential laying of “charges” against their colleagues is unacceptable and further compounds the lengthy incommunicado detention they have already endured.
Renewed Concerns
The heads of UN entities and NGOs also stated that the reported referral to “criminal prosecution” further raised serious concerns about the safety and security of their staff, as well as that of their families.
They warned that such action would further hinder their ability to deliver critical humanitarian aid to millions of Yemenis in need.
If tried, those detainees, who are accused of espionage, would face possible death sentences.
“The targeting of humanitarians in Yemen – including arbitrary detention, intimidation, mistreatment, and false allegations – must stop, and all those detained must be released immediately,” the heads of UN entities and NGOs stressed in the statement.
It added that the UN, INGOs, and partners are working through “all possible channels” and with multiple governments to secure the swift release of those detained.
