اقرأ المحتوى باللغة العربية
In response to an alarming wave of arbitrary arrests and forced confessions of Yemeni aid workers, UN staff, foreign embassy employees, and activists, the Sana’a Center hosted a media call to discuss this growing threat to civil society. The event, held on Friday, September 27, and moderated by Daraj Media Editor Diana Moukalled explored the impact of these detentions, which have drastically reduced aid distribution to millions living under Houthi rule.
In recent months, Houthi authorities in Sana’a have intensified their arrest campaigns, falsely accusing many of involvement in an international spy ring. Diala Haidar, a Yemen researcher for Amnesty International, said, “the ongoing campaign has raised fears among humanitarian workers in Yemen that they may be detained simply for doing their work.” She added that the Houthis have a track record of using torture to extract confessions, undermining prisoners’ rights to the presumption of innocence and freedom from self-incrimination.
Abdullah Shaddad, a Yemeni lawyer, said that judicial authorities in Yemen feel helpless, and are unable to implement rulings to release prisoners who have not been proven guilty in a court of law but still have been illegally detained for years. “What bothers the Houthi authorities most are the legal arguments raised before a formal court of law,” claimed Shaddad, adding that lawyers are discouraged from challenging arbitrary detentions through intimidation tactics such as the confiscation of private property.
Panelists objected to the current culture of impunity, reinforced by the international community’s normalization of the Houthis’ oppressive actions and failure to impose limits. “Relief operations are conducted without oversight or red lines,” said Farea al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House and the co-founder and former chairperson of the Sana’a Center. Al-Muslimi was among those recently accused of espionage by the Houthi authorities. “We must do as much as possible to release people who are detained by the Houthis and think very carefully about what can be done for their families,” he said.
Airing staged confessions and specifically targeting those doing essential work to support the Yemeni people raises serious concerns for Yemen’s future. “The most dangerous thing about the Houthis’ behavior is that they don’t care what this means for millions of people under their administration,” Al-Muslimi said. “They are treating their citizens as hostages, not even as political dissidents. This will certainly complicate the peace process in Yemen.”