Information Minister condemns Houthi militia for detaining humanitarian expert Ahmed Al-Yemeni, forcibly hidden for two months.

Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar al-Eryani, has strongly condemned the ongoing detention of Ahmed Ali Al-Yemeni, a Yemeni humanitarian expert and former employee of various organizations, by the Iran-backed Houthi militia. Since the raid on his home and the confiscation of his belongings on June 6, there has been no communication allowed with his family since his abduction.

In a press statement, al-Eryani highlighted that the kidnapping and enforced disappearance of Al-Yemeni for two months shed light on the tragedy of dozens of abducted and forcibly hidden individuals, including employees of international and local organizations working in the humanitarian field. This situation underscores the level of risk faced by workers in these organizations.

Al-Eryani pointed out that in early June, the Houthi militia launched a widespread abduction campaign targeting dozens of United Nations employees, agencies, the office of the UN envoy Hans Grundberg, and several international and local organizations operating in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, and other provinces. This campaign, which included women among those abducted, represents an unprecedented escalation and a blatant violation of international laws and conventions.

Al-Eryani expressed astonishment at the ongoing silence from the United Nations, its agencies, and international organizations, noting that some of these entities have concealed cases of abduction and forced detention experienced by their staff. He stressed that this lack of action has contributed to a dangerous stage where the militia treats international organization employees as “spies and agents,” detaining dozens, issuing death sentences, and using them as tools for media propaganda, pressure, extortion, and bargaining, similar to tactics used by ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

Al-Eryani renewed his call for the United Nations mission, all UN agencies, and international organizations operating in Yemen, as well as the UN mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), to immediately relocate their main offices to the temporary capital, Aden, and other liberated areas. He emphasized that such a move is crucial for the safety of these offices’ staff and to ensure a suitable environment for carrying out their humanitarian duties effectively and safely, away from such risks.

Al-Eryani urged the international community, the United Nations, and international agencies and organizations to break their silence on these practices, which constitute a stark violation of international and humanitarian law. He called for real pressure on the Houthi militia to release all those forcibly detained in their prisons and to take strong and deterrent measures proportional to the crimes committed by the militia, including immediately designating it as a terrorist organization.

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