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Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on Tuesday issued a joint statement condemning the Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen for having sent at least eight people involved in human rights and humanitarian work for criminal prosecution on espionage-related charges punishable by death since August 18.
The eight include two UN employees, a UN consultant, and five people who worked with international and local civil society organizations on issues including health, human rights, and humanitarian aid. They were transferred to the Specialized Criminal Prosecution in Sanaa and face charges of “espionage” and “aiding the enemy” under articles 127 and 128 of Yemen’s Penal Code, both of which carry the death penalty. Prosecutors also made vague, sweeping allegations about the detainees’ humanitarian and human rights work, characterizing it as part of a premeditated plan to undermine the values of society.
According to the organizations, all eight remain in detention with deteriorating health, including at least two diabetics without adequate medical care and one detainee undergoing chemotherapy for stomach cancer.
The rights groups argued that imposing the death penalty after unfair proceedings renders it arbitrary and contrary to international legal standards, and that international human rights law reserves capital punishment for the “most serious crimes,” interpreted as intentional killing, an accusation none of the eight face. This standard derives from Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as clarified by the UN Human Rights Committee’s General Comment No. 36.
Amnesty’s Yemen researcher Diala Haidar said that securing the workers’ release should be “a top priority for governments, and not an afterthought.” HRW researcher Niku Jafarnia urged other governments to intensify diplomatic efforts to free the detainees, citing attacks on prisons during the conflict.
This concern forms part of arbitrary actions carried out by the Houthis over the past years as well. They detained around 19 staff members of the UN in 2025, alongside a broader campaign against political opponents. The HRW found in January that the detentions have deepened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. As of October 5, 72 of the staff of the UN and dozens of other workers remained in detention, all Yemeni nationals, after the World Food Programme announced the release of one staff member.
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The eight include two UN employees, a UN consultant, and five people who worked with international and local civil society organizations on issues including health, human rights, and humanitarian aid. They were transferred to the Specialized Criminal Prosecution in Sanaa and face charges of “espionage” and “aiding the enemy” under articles 127 and 128 of Yemen’s Penal Code, both of which carry the death penalty. Prosecutors also made vague, sweeping allegations about the detainees’ humanitarian and human rights work, characterizing it as part of a premeditated plan to undermine the values of society.
According to the organizations, all eight remain in detention with deteriorating health, including at least two diabetics without adequate medical care and one detainee undergoing chemotherapy for stomach cancer.
The rights groups argued that imposing the death penalty after unfair proceedings renders it arbitrary and contrary to international legal standards, and that international human rights law reserves capital punishment for the “most serious crimes,” interpreted as intentional killing, an accusation none of the eight face. This standard derives from Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as clarified by the UN Human Rights Committee’s General Comment No. 36.
Amnesty’s Yemen researcher Diala Haidar said that securing the workers’ release should be “a top priority for governments, and not an afterthought.” HRW researcher Niku Jafarnia urged other governments to intensify diplomatic efforts to free the detainees, citing attacks on prisons during the conflict.
This concern forms part of arbitrary actions carried out by the Houthis over the past years as well. They detained around 19 staff members of the UN in 2025, alongside a broader campaign against political opponents. The HRW found in January that the detentions have deepened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. As of October 5, 72 of the staff of the UN and dozens of other workers remained in detention, all Yemeni nationals, after the World Food Programme announced the release of one staff member.
The post Rights groups raise concerns over Houthis prosecuting civil society workers for espionage appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.