Rights group calls for release of aid workers detained by Houthi rebels in Yemen – JURIST

Human Rights Watch on Sunday demanded that Houthi authorities who have systematically detained more than 70 United Nations employees in Yemen over the course of two years release them immediately, noting that they were captured under baseless accusations of spying for Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia.

Emphasizing the seriousness of the crisis, Yemen researcher at Amnesty International, Diala Haidar, stated:

The continued crackdown on civic space in northern Yemen, in which the Houthis have arrested scores, including humanitarian workers, human rights defenders, journalists, and activists, has to end… All those arbitrarily detained should be immediately released. Pending their release, Houthi authorities must ensure they are protected from torture and other ill-treatment and that they have access to health care and legal counsel and regular contact with their family.

The Houthis, who are a heavily armed political and militant organization that controls most of northern Yemen and acts as the governing authority, have been heavily criticized by rights groups in recent years due to their constant attacks on civilians and their perpetration of sexual violence. October 2023 marked the first reported instance where an aid worker, Hisham Al-Hakimi, had passed after being held incommunicado in a detention facility. In late May 2024, Houthi rebels had unlawfully captured 13 UN staff and an additional 50 staff from different organizations, a statistic that has only increased in the span of two years.

In early 2025, one UN aid worker had passed away in Houthi custody under suspicious circumstances, resulting in pressure for an independent inquiry into the harsh living conditions of detained aid workers in the country. This devastating pattern of arbitrary detention against aid workers continues to dismantle the humanitarian response in a country marred by war-inflicted famine, cutting off millions of starving civilians from food, clean water, and access to medical treatment.

The primary motivation behind the detainment of aid workers by Houthi rebels is due to their desire to utilize these individuals as a point of leverage in political negotiations and to exert total control over humanitarian aid distribution. For instance, the period when the United States and global organizations are deciding on terrorist designations or economic sanctions has coincided with higher spikes in detainments, a clear illustration of how aid workers are seen as political pawns.

The main issue that hinders proper rescue efforts is that aid workers are held in highly secretive and decentralized detention facilities, many of whom have been forbidden from communicating with their families and colleagues. In addition, Human Rights Watch has criticized the culture of fear that has been created by the Houthis, who routinely label these workers as covert spies working for Western forces, which in turn empowers their operations.

Unlawfully detaining individuals is prohibited in international law, in particular under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Yemen is a state party.