Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The Ma’ouna Association for Human Rights and Migration and the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms have strongly condemned the wave of arbitrary arrests carried out by the Houthi militias against UN staff in Sana’a and Hudaidah. These condemnations came after the storming of international organization headquarters and the seizure of their property, actions confirmed by a statement from the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg.
The violations included the kidnapping of the Secretary-General of the General People’s Congress party (GPC), Ghazi Al-Ahwal, and 12 other leaders since August 20, as well as forcing the party’s leadership to cancel its annual founding anniversary celebration under threat of arms. The two organizations consider these actions part of a systematic policy to suppress political pluralism and abolish civilian life in Yemen.
The association revealed that 34 UN staff members, including 23 who have been detained for years, remain in custody. One of them died due to torture, in addition to hundreds of activists and opponents. The association affirmed that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and pose a threat to international peace and security.
The human rights organizations called on the UN Security Council to hold an urgent session on Yemen to secure the release of all detainees. They also called on the Human Rights Council to hold an emergency session to discuss these violations.
In a related context, the association and the network held the Iranian regime fully responsible for its military and political support for the Houthis, stressing the need to implement international legitimacy resolutions and protect political pluralism in Yemen.
The two organizations renewed their call for the international community to take urgent action to save the lives of the detainees, protect civilian life, and ensure the independence of humanitarian work. They warned that international silence encourages the militias to continue their violations.
