UN: Confessions of detained staff in Yemen were forced, fabricated by Houthis

The UN Human Rights Office said Tuesday that confessions broadcast by Yemen’s Houthi group from detained UN staff were extracted under duress, renewing its call for their immediate and unconditional release.

Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office, in a press conference in Geneva told reporters that six UN staff members, including one woman, have been held by the Houthis for three months on "fabricated charges," noting that the Houthis are also holding seven other UN staff members, bringing the total to 17 UN staff members currently detained in Yemen.

Shamdasani added that the whereabouts of the detained staff remain unknown, and the Houthis have denied any access to them despite repeated UN requests. She confirmed that the videos released by the Houthis, showing confessions from the staff members, were "forced confessions" made under duress.

The Houthis have accused UN staff of collaborating with foreign intelligence agencies, including the CIA and Israel’s Mossad.

Shamdasani called these accusations “deeply disturbing” and urged Houthi authorities to facilitate, rather than obstruct, the work of the UN and humanitarian and human rights organizations.

Since early June, the Houthis have detained dozens of Yemeni employees of UN organizations and NGOs, as well as former staff members of the US embassy in Sanaa.