Barran Press
The Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, has detained a former employee of the US embassy and a telecommunications businessman, according to reports on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. These arrests are part of a wider crackdown on local and international staff that began in early June, targeting dozens of individuals.
Fares Alhemyari, a correspondent for the Chinese news agency Xinhua in Yemen, reported that the Houthis apprehended Walid al-Khayat following a raid on his home in Sana'a last month. Al-Khayat had previously worked for the US embassy in Sana'a on a six-month contract several years ago.
Alhemyari also stated that the Houthis arrested Sami al-Amousi, a Yemeni businessman who owns a telecommunications company and is the agent for ZTE in Yemen. The Houthis confiscated equipment from both al-Amousi's offices and his residence.
The Houthi-led campaign, which began in early June, has seen the group detain numerous staff members from international and UN organizations operating in Sana'a and areas under their control.
On June 24, 2024, Ahmed Erman, the Yemeni Minister of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, accused the Houthis of continuing their "arrest campaign against aid workers from international, UN, and local organizations in Sana'a." He confirmed that over 70 individuals, including five women, had been detained, among them employees of UN agencies, international organizations, and local NGOs.
On Friday, July 12, 2024, the United Nations stated that it was using all available channels to secure the "immediate and unconditional release" of its staff members being held "arbitrarily" by the Houthis.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, during a daily press briefing at the UN headquarters, stated that "more than a month has passed since the majority of them were arbitrarily detained." He also highlighted that "four of our colleagues at the UN have been detained since 2021."
Dujarric urged the Houthis to "immediately and unconditionally release all of them." He demanded that they "be treated with full respect for their human rights and be allowed to contact their families and legal representatives."