Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The U.S. has condemned the continued detention by the Houthis of current and former local staff members affiliated with the US Mission in Yemen. It described the arrests as illegal and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detained employees.
Tommy Pigott, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, said in an official statement that the Houthis have escalated their campaign against workers in international organizations and foreign governments, reflecting growing violations and the imposition of arbitrary, sham legal proceedings against the staff.
On the same matter, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, conveyed the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the Houthi decision to refer a number of detained UN staff members to a specialized criminal court. He confirmed that the Houthis are arbitrarily holding 59 UN staff members, isolated from the outside world, some of whom have been detained for years without legal guarantees.
Dujarric added that UN personnel enjoy full legal immunity for all their official acts, and that the continuation of these arrests constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and impedes the organization’s work in Yemen.
