Joint Statement: UN and International Organizations Warn Against Referring Detained Aid Workers to Criminal Prosecution
Yemen Monitor/Newsroom
On Saturday evening, UN and international organizations expressed “deep concern” about the referral of their arbitrarily detained staff to the public prosecution by the Houthi de facto authorities, and called for their immediate release.
A joint statement issued by ten UN and international organizations stated, “We are deeply concerned about reports that the Houthi de facto authorities have referred a large number of arbitrarily detained colleagues to the public prosecution.”
Among the detained staff are three UN employees, two from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and one from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who were arrested in 2021 and 2023, according to the statement.
The statement added, “We are deeply saddened to receive news of this reported development at a time when we had hoped for the release of our colleagues.” It considered “that bringing potential charges against our colleagues is unacceptable and prolongs their detention without any communication.”
The statement warned that this decision “will further hinder our ability to reach millions of people in Yemen who are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection services.”
The statement renewed the call of the affected UN entities and international NGOs for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained staff in Yemen by the Houthis.
The statement was signed by the United Nations Development Programme and the organizations: World Health Organization, Save the Children, Oxfam International, UNESCO, UNICEF, CARE, World Food Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen.
In June, the Houthis arrested 13 UN staff members, including six working in the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in addition to more than 50 employees of non-governmental organizations and another in an embassy, according to the UN.
The Houthis confirmed that they had arrested members of an “American-Israeli espionage network” operating under the guise of humanitarian organizations, an accusation that the UN has categorically denied.
Two staff members in the Commissioner’s office are being held in an unknown location, one since November 2021 and the other since August 2023.
In early August, the Houthis raided the Commissioner’s office, confiscated its keys and seized documents and property, before handing it over later in the month.
