Sanaa: In an alarming move amid boiling tensions in the fragile Middle East region, Yemen's Houthi rebels stormed the headquarters of the United Nations Human Rights Office in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and seized important documents, furniture and vehicles, according to a senior UN official on Tuesday. This was the latest in a crackdown by the Iran-backed group on people working with the UN, aid agencies and foreign embassies.
The crackdown comes as the Iranian-backed rebels have been targeting shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The rebels took over the UN Human Rights Office's premises in Sanaa on August 3, after forcing UN Yemeni workers to hand over belongings, including documents, furniture and vehicles, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
“Entering a UN office without permission and seizing documents and property by force are wholly inconsistent with the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. This is also a serious attack on the ability of the UN to perform its mandate, including with respect to the promotion and protection of human rights, which my Office is there to defend,” the High Commissioner said.
"I regret that all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. I appeal again, with a heavy heart, for their immediate and unconditional release. We are doing all we can to make sure they are united with their loved ones as soon as possible. Until then, the de facto authorities must ensure they are treated with full respect for their human rights, and that they are able to contact their families and legal representatives," Turk further said in his statement, calling for the forces to leave the UN office premises and return all assets immediately.
The UN's Human Rights Office said it had suspended the office's operations in Sanaa and other Yemeni areas controlled by the Houthis following the June crackdown campaign. But it still operates in the parts of Yemen controlled by the internationally recognized government. In June, the Houthis detained more than 60 people working with the UN and other NGOs.
Days after the arrest campaign, the rebels said they had arrested members of what they called an “American-Israeli spy network.” The Houthis issued what they purported to be videotaped confessions by 10 Yemenis, several of whom said they were recruited by the US Embassy in Yemen. The UN Human Rights Office said one of its staffers who was detained earlier appeared in a video in which he was forced to confess to allegations, including of espionage, the office said.
The Houthis have been engaged in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they took control of Sanaa and most of the north. The war in Yemen has killed more than 1,50,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
“It is crucial that the de facto authorities respect the United Nations and its independence, release all detained UN staff immediately, and create conditions in which my Office and other UN agencies can continue their critical work for the people of Yemen without threats or hindrance,” the High Commissioner said.
(AP)
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