Houthis disappear dozens of UN, NGO staff in civil society crackdown
6-26-2024
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London: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Houthi authorities in Yemen to release dozens of individuals who have been arrested and forcibly disappeared since May. The organization highlighted the arbitrary detention of Yemenis, including at least 13 UN staff, as part of a broader crackdown on civil society in Houthi-controlled regions.
According to HRW, these arrests appear to be linked to the detainees' current or past employment. Starting on May 31, Houthi forces began targeting NGO employees, conducting raids on homes and offices. As of June 12, over 60 individuals had been detained.
HRW detailed that Houthi forces typically arrived at detainees' homes unannounced, with several armored vehicles and approximately 10 to 30 armed men. Most of the forces wore military uniforms and head coverings, with only their eyes visible. These raids often took place early in the morning while families were still asleep. No search or arrest warrants were presented, and Houthi authorities have denied families any information about their detained relatives.
Beginning June 10, Houthi authorities released videos of Yemeni men detained between 2021 and 2023 confessing to spying for Israel and the US. HRW expressed concern that these confessions were likely coerced and suggested that the videos were intended to portray the recent detainees as part of a larger spy network.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk have urged the Houthis to release all UN and NGO staff. The ongoing arrests have prompted many people in Houthi-controlled areas to flee, exacerbating an existing brain drain from these regions.
HRW emphasized the long history of Houthi detentions and forced disappearances since 2014, noting that the militia regularly practices torture in detention facilities. Additionally, the Houthis have significantly violated women’s rights, suppressed freedom of speech and assembly, and detained numerous journalists, human rights defenders, academics, and political opponents.
Niku Jafarnia, HRW's Yemen and Bahrain researcher, stated, "The Houthis are using arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances as a political tool at a time when the people living in their territories lack even the most basic needs. The Houthis should immediately release all of these people, many of whom have spent their careers working to improve their country. The international community should be doing everything in their power to ensure that these people are immediately released."
One Yemeni living abroad shared with HRW, "It’s almost as if our life in Yemen is over after this. I thought I would move back and start a family there, and now it’s clear to me I can’t do that. We can’t live like this."
Footnotes: Picture: A United Nations vehicle is parked outside as the UN special envoy for Yemen meets with local officials in the country's third city of Taez on February 12, 2024 (AFP)
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