The Baha'i community in Yemen confirmed on Saturday, June 22, 2024, that the Houthi group, internationally designated as a terrorist organization, had released their spokesperson, Abdullah Al-Olofi, who had been held in Houthi prisons in Sana'a for over a year.

In a brief statement on the X platform, monitored by Barran Press, the Baha'i community stated that "four Baha'is remain in detention (Abdul-Ilah Al-Bawni, Mohammed Al-Duba'i, Hassan Al-Zzekri, and Ibrahim Ju'bul)."

The statement called for the immediate and unconditional release of the four remaining detainees.

On Friday, June 21, the Yemeni Initiative for the Defense of Baha'i Rights reported, based on reliable sources, that Abdullah Al-Alafi, who had been detained for over a year, had returned home.

The initiative noted on X that "the nature of his release and whether he is under house arrest or any other restrictions, as was the case with the 12 Baha'is previously released from detention, is still unclear."

The initiative expressed hope that Al-Alafi's release would be a positive step by the Houthis towards rectifying their approach to the peaceful Baha'i minority. It called for an end to the systematic persecution of Baha'is that has intensified since the Houthis took control of Sana'a in 2014.

Al-Alafi, the spokesperson for Baha'is in Yemen, was abducted on May 25, 2023, along with 17 others during a gathering at a residence in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.

The Houthi group later released a number of the abducted Baha'is, but five remained in Houthi detention, including Al-Alafi, a lawyer and human rights activist known for his advocacy for the Yemeni Baha'i minority, which has faced arbitrary abuses at the hands of the Houthis since their takeover of Sana'a in late 2014.