Yemen Monitor/Newsroom
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said it remains extremely concerned about the well-being of UN and NGO staff detained by the Houthi group, and has called for their immediate and unconditional release.
It confirmed that 13 UN staff and a number of NGO staff have been detained for more than a month by the Houthi group in Sana’a, in addition to two other UN colleagues who were detained in November 2021 and August 2023.
“We strongly reject the shocking and false allegations, publicly broadcast, against our staff members, and we urge the armed group to release them immediately and without conditions,” said OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence during a press conference in Geneva today, Tuesday.
“Our office urges those states and entities that have influence over (Ansar Allah) group to use it to secure the safe and prompt release of all detained UN and NGO staff,” he added.
The spokesperson said his office is deeply concerned about the conditions of their detention. “It is important that the de facto authorities ensure that the detainees are treated with full respect for their human rights, and that they are able to contact their families and legal representatives,” he said. “The further targeting of human rights and humanitarian workers in Yemen must stop immediately.”
Laurence told reporters that High Commissioner Volker Turk “starts and ends every day thinking about these staff members,” stressing that they must be released now.
