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"Mwatana" Meeting with the UN Coordinator in Yemen
On Sunday, November 3, 2024, Mwatana for Human Rights held a meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator in Yemen, Mr. Julien Harneis, at the office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a. The meeting included the participation of Mwatana's Chairperson, Radhya Al-Mutawakel, and the organization's Vice Chairperson, Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih, via Zoom from The Hague, the city of justice and peace.
The meeting discussed the legal support and advocacy efforts that Mwatana provides for victims of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance among former employees of the U.S. Embassy and employees from international and local organizations.
In June 2024, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group carried out a campaign of arbitrary detentions against several employees of international and local organizations in areas under their control, violating legal procedures and the fundamental rights of the detainees.
Later that month, the security and intelligence agency affiliated with the Ansar Allah group announced what they described as an "American-Israeli espionage cell," broadcasting a video on Al-Masirah featuring alleged "confessions" from detainees who were former employees of the U.S. Embassy in Sana'a, which has been closed for nearly a decade due to the security and political situation following the Houthis' takeover of the capital. The number of detainees from the former U.S. Embassy employees reached 12.
In October 2024, 12 of these former employees were referred to the prosecution, while investigations were still ongoing with 6 of them. Meanwhile, employees from international and local organizations remained in arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance.
Since the beginning of the detentions, Mwatana has provided legal support and conducted field visits, as well as local and international meetings to advocate for the victims and demand their unconditional release.
In the context of its advocacy efforts to secure the release of the victims, Mwatana expressed its willingness to cooperate with the United Nations in all efforts aimed at securing the release of the detainees from the U.S. Embassy and employees from international and local organizations, commending the diligent efforts led by the Humanitarian Coordinator and the UN team.
At the end of the meeting, the UN Resident Coordinator in Yemen praised the efforts of Mwatana for Human Rights and its active role in following up on the cases of detainees in Yemen, noting that the difficult circumstances in Yemen have not hindered Mwatana's efforts in this regard.
