Barran Press
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, accused the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, of using dozens of detainees, including UN and civil society staff, as "bargaining chips." The organization called on the international community and the Sultanate of Oman to pressure the Houthis for their immediate release and an end to the "repression."
In a statement released Wednesday, seen by Barran Press, HRW stated that the Houthis "arrested and forcibly disappeared dozens of people, including at least 13 UN staff and numerous employees of non-governmental organizations working in Houthi-controlled areas, since May 31, 2024."
The organization added that the Houthis arrested these individuals "arbitrarily without due process, and held them incommunicado, amounting to enforced disappearance."
HRW noted that these arrests "came after the Yemeni government decided to relocate major banks outside of Houthi-controlled territories," emphasizing that "the Houthis have a history of using detainees as bargaining chips."
A source quoted by HRW said, "The Houthis know there won't be international escalation if they arrest Yemenis, but if they arrest international staff, there will be a major international outcry."
HRW clarified that "no charges have been brought against the detainees," expressing concerns that "the Houthis are trying to portray the recently detained individuals as spies." The organization stated that "Houthi authorities have a long history of bringing dubious charges against detainees, including espionage."
On June 9, 2024, informed sources told "Bran Press" that the Houthi group "forced the recently detained staff to confess under torture," describing the confessions extracted by the Houthis as "contrived" and alleging "their connection to an intelligence agency, spying against the group, affiliated with Washington and the Zionist entity."
The international human rights organization stressed the necessity of "immediately releasing all arbitrarily detained individuals," urging the international community to "pressure the Houthis to release the detainees and stop their broader repression of civil society."
"The Houthis are using arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances as a political tool at a time when people living in their territories lack even the most basic necessities," said Niko Jafferny, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at HRW.
Jafferny called on the Houthis to "immediately release all these individuals, many of whom have dedicated their careers to improving their country."
She added, "The international community should do everything in its power to ensure the immediate release of these individuals." She emphasized that "many of them are key members of Yemeni civil society organizations and staff of UN agencies and international NGOs."
HRW criticized the stance of UN agencies or organizations where the detainees worked, stating that they "have not made efforts to contact the families of the detainees, including families living abroad who could have been safely contacted."
The organization stressed the need for the UN, independent groups working in Yemen, and relevant governments to "do everything in their power to ensure the release of the detainees."
The organization called on Oman, which it said "has been a mediator in negotiations between the Houthis and other warring parties," to "work collectively with other countries to ensure the Houthis release the detainees."
Since late 2014, HRW has stated that the Houthis have abducted and forcibly disappeared hundreds of people, adding that it has documented "the Houthis' use of torture in detention." The organization said, "Torture is a serious concern given that HRW has documented the torture of detainees in recent years at the hands of the Houthis."
HRW considered "the recent arrests carried out by the Houthis as a way to distract from their increasing failure to provide basic necessities to the population living in their territories, in addition to the recent government decision to relocate banking services from Sana'a to Aden."
HRW drew attention to the Houthis' violations since their takeover of Sana'a in 2014, stating that they "have committed serious violations of women's rights and freedoms, suppressed freedom of expression and assembly, and detained dozens of journalists, human rights defenders, academics, and political opponents."
Since June 7, 2024, the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, has launched a broad campaign of arrests against international and UN staff working in Sana'a and areas under their control.
On June 24, 2024, Ahmed Arman, Minister of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, accused the Houthi group in a statement to the Chinese news agency Xinhua of "continuing their campaign of arrests that began at the beginning of this month against relief workers from international and UN organizations and local organizations in Sana'a," explaining that the number of detainees has exceeded 70, confirming that they include staff from UN agencies, international and local organizations, including five women."