Mastodon
RNS logo
Religion Hub

Independent UN experts urge Yemen’s Houthis to free detained Baha'i followers

CAIRO (AP) — The Houthis have waged an all-out campaign against all political and religious opponents and have held thousands in detention, where torture is rampant.
Independent UN experts urge Yemen’s Houthis to free detained Baha’i followers
This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)
Samy Magdy

CAIRO (AP) — Human rights experts working for the United Nations on Monday urged Yemen’s Houthi rebels to release five people from the country’s Baha’i religious minority who have been in detention for a year.

The five are among 17 Baha’i followers detained last May when the Houthis raided a Baha’i gathering in the capital of Sanaa. The experts said in a statement that 12 have since been released “under very strict conditions” but that five remain “detained in difficult circumstances.”

There have long been concerns about the treatment of the members of the Baha’i minority at the hands of the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, who have ruled much of the impoverished Arab country’s north and the capital, Sanaa, since the civil war started in 2014.


The experts said they “urge the de facto authorities to release” the five remaining detainees, warning they were at “serious risk of torture and other human rights violations, including acts tantamount to enforced disappearance.”

A spokesman for the Houthis did not return a request for comment.

The 12 were released only after signing a pledge not to communicate with other Baha’is and “refrain from engaging in any Baha’i activities,” the experts said. They are also not allowed to leave their hometowns without permission.

The experts are part of the Special Procedures, which is the largest body of independent experts in the United Nations Human Rights system.

The Houthis have waged an all-out campaign against all political and religious opponents and have held thousands in detention, where torture is rampant.

The Baha’i have been particularly vulnerable to persecution and pressure to convert to Islam by the Houthis who consider their religion heresy.

Baha’i is a monotheistic religion founded in the mid-19th century by Baha’u’llah, a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by the Baha’is. He taught that all religions represent progressive stages in the revelation of God’s will, leading to the unity of all people and faiths.


Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
No paywalls here. Thanks to you.
As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That's why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!)

But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That's why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we're a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS.
Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher
Donate today