Washington calls prosecutions a “sham,” while UN chief says detentions breach international law, amid reports of mistreatment and secret trials.
The United States and United Nations have jointly condemned the detention and prosecution of local embassy and aid workers by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, calling the moves unlawful and politically motivated.
In a statement Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott denounced the Houthis’ “sham proceedings” against current and former local staff of the U.S. embassy in Yemen, accusing the group of using fear and repression to maintain control.
The criticism aligns with a separate appeal from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who demanded the immediate release of all UN and humanitarian personnel detained in Houthi-held areas. Guterres said referring UN staff to the rebels’ Specialized Criminal Court in Sanaa violates international law.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said 59 Yemeni UN employees are currently detained, along with dozens working for NGOs, civil society groups, and foreign missions. Some have been held for years, often incommunicado and under reported conditions of mistreatment.
The Houthi-run court convicted 17 people in late November on espionage charges—part of a broader crackdown targeting Yemenis affiliated with international organizations. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said one of his staff, detained since 2021, was presented before the “so-called court on fabricated charges.”
The UN is engaged in diplomatic outreach to the Houthis and regional governments, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, to secure the detainees’ release. The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital in 2014, have imprisoned thousands during the country’s protracted civil war.
