UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday condemned a decision by Yemen’s Houthis to refer UN staff members to a special criminal court, urging the group to immediately release all detained UN, NGO and diplomatic staff.
Mr Guterres said he remained “gravely concerned” about the arbitrary detention of 59 personnel, as well as dozens of NGO workers, civil society members and diplomatic mission staff who have been held without due process, some for years.
The staff, including Yemeni nationals employed by the UN, are “immune from legal process in respect of all acts performed in their official capacity", he said in a statement, underscoring that the detentions breach international law.
“We call on the de facto authorities to rescind the referral and work in good faith towards the immediate release of all detained personnel of the UN, NGOs and diplomatic community."
Many have been held in isolation, with families and colleagues not knowing about their whereabouts or health.
Relations between the Iran-backed Houthis and international organisations have deteriorated sharply in recent years, disrupting humanitarian operations and at times forcing agencies to suspend or decrease their work.
The detentions, long a flashpoint, have drawn widespread international condemnation, particularly after Houthi-run courts issued death sentences against several detainees on charges of espionage.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said one of his own staff members, detained since 2021, had now been brought before the group’s “Special Criminal Court” on what he described as fabricated charges linked to his official work.
“This is totally unacceptable and a grave human rights violation,” Mr Turk said.
He said the UN had received “very concerning reports of mistreatment of numerous staff in detention".
Mr Turk said that the prolonged detentions and alleged abuse put the employees’ safety and well-being at “grave risk”, and have inflicted deep strain on their families and the UN’s ability to operate in Yemen.
The Houthis have controlled large parts of the country since they seized the capital in September 2014.
They began a campaign of attacks on ships in the Red Sea a month after the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, in what they called a show of solidarity with the Palestinian enclave.
The Houthis have faced strikes by the US and western allies, as well as by Israel, in response to the attacks on shipping. They have also launched drones and missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted.
