London: Houthi authorities in Yemen must release dozens of people arrested and forcibly disappeared since May, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.
In the report, HRW said the Houthis forcibly disappeared Yemenis in territory they control, including at least 13 UN staff, as part of a broader attack on civil society.
“Arbitrary arrests appear to be based on detainees’ current or past employment,” HRW added.
Beginning on May 31, Houthi forces began arresting employees of several non-governmental organizations, raiding homes and offices. One source said that by June 12, more than 60 people had been arrested.
In all cases, Houthi forces “arrived unannounced at the homes of the people they intended to arrest, along with several armored vehicles and an average of approximately 10 to 30 armed people,” HRW said.
“Almost all forces wore military uniforms and head and face coverings, sometimes revealing only the eyes. In many cases, forces arrived early in the morning while families were still sleeping.”
No search or arrest warrants were presented in either case, and Houthi forces rejected requests from family members asking for the whereabouts of their relatives. No formal charges were brought against any of the detainees.
However, on June 10, Houthi authorities began releasing a series of videos showing Yemeni men detained from 2021 to 2023 admitting to spying for Israel and the US.
HRW said there was a “high risk” the confessions were coerced, and sources told the NGO the timing of the release was intended to “frame” the recently detained man as part of a larger “spy network.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on the Houthis to release all UN and non-governmental organisation staff.
Since the airstrikes began in late May, many people have fled Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
According to one HRW source, the existing “brain drain” from Houthi-controlled areas will only deepen as a result of the arrest campaign.
Another said: “Even though I managed to escape… I couldn’t sleep… I’ve had panic attacks every day since I escaped from Sanaa… I’m very worried about my friends and colleagues in Sanaa who are just waiting for the Houthis to arrest them.”
The Houthis have detained and forcibly disappeared hundreds of people since 2014, HRW said, warning that the militia regularly uses torture in detention centers.
The Houthis “have also committed significant violations of women’s rights and freedoms, suppressed freedom of speech and assembly, and detained dozens of journalists, human rights defenders, scientists and political opponents,” the NGO added
Niku Jafarnia, HRW researcher for Yemen and Bahrain, said: “The Houthis are using arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances as a political tool at a time when people living in their territories lack even the most basic needs.
“The Houthis should immediately release all of these people, many of whom have dedicated their careers to working for the betterment of their country.
“The international community should do everything in its power to secure the immediate release of these people.
“Many of them have been invaluable members of Yemeni civil society organizations and staff of UN agencies and non-governmental international groups.”
One Yemenis living abroad told HRW: “It’s almost like our life in Yemen is over after this. I thought I would go back and start a family there, but now it’s clear to me that I can’t do that. We can’t live like this.”