Top United Nations (UN) officials and leaders of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have renewed their urgent call for the immediate and unconditional release of personnel detained by Houthi authorities in Yemen. The plea follows alarming reports that a significant number of arbitrarily arrested individuals, including three UN staff members, may face criminal prosecution.
Among those detained are two employees of UNESCO and one from the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), who were arrested in 2021 and 2023. Despite hopes for release, the potential laying of charges against these individuals has raised serious concerns about their safety and the implications for ongoing humanitarian efforts in the country.
In a joint statement, the leaders expressed their deep distress over the situation: “The potential laying of ‘charges’ against our colleagues is unacceptable and further compounds the lengthy incommunicado detention they have already endured.” The prolonged detention and possible prosecution of UN and NGO personnel have heightened fears for the well-being of both the detainees and their families.
The detentions have also significantly hampered the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide critical aid to millions of Yemenis affected by conflict and deprivation. “Such a decision further raises serious concerns about the safety and security of our staff and their families, and will further impede our ability to reach millions of Yemenis who need humanitarian aid and protection,” the statement added.
The group emphasized the urgent need to end the targeting of humanitarian workers in Yemen, where arbitrary detentions, intimidation, and false allegations have become common. They called on Houthi authorities to immediately release all personnel from UN entities, international NGOs, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions currently being held.
“The targeting of humanitarians in Yemen—including arbitrary detention, intimidation, mistreatment, and false allegations—must stop, and all those detained must be released immediately,” the statement read.
The UN, alongside its partners, has been working with various governments and diplomatic channels to secure the release of the detainees. The signatories of the statement include high-ranking officials such as Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).
As the humanitarian crisis in Yemen deepens, the detained personnel are urgently needed to resume their roles in delivering life-saving assistance to the country’s vulnerable population.
