Guterres addresses Iran regarding international organizations’ employees kidnapped by Houthi militias

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Iran on Wednesday to urge the Houthis to immediately release all UN staff they are holding, according to the organization's spokesman.

The United Nations has repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of its staff, NGO staff and civil society members arbitrarily detained by the Houthis since June this year, as well as those detained since 2021 and 2023.

In his daily press conference, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the Secretary-General confirmed, in a telephone call with the Iranian Foreign Minister, that such an action by the Houthis constitutes a violation of the privileges and immunity of UN staff.

The Secretary-General called for the release of all detainees, stressing that such continued actions by the Houthis harm the work of the United Nations in Yemen, which benefits from meeting the enormous needs of the suffering Yemeni people.

On Tuesday, the Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, confirmed that Yemenis see that “their space for meaningful engagement and peacebuilding is under attack, with arbitrary arrests, death threats and intimidation, especially in areas controlled by the Houthi group.”

In a briefing to the UN Security Council, Grundberg called for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained persons, including 17 UN staff, four of whom are women, one of whom is from his team, and an end to the arrest campaign.

He noted that he had recently spoken with several civil society organizations, women's groups, activists and local peacemakers who told him how deeply affected they were by the latest wave of arbitrary arrests by the Houthis, adding that these arrests were aimed at "tarnishing reputations and creating a climate of fear and mistrust."

“The recent referral of some detainees to the so-called criminal prosecution is another blow to our collective efforts to build peace and stability in Yemen,” Grundberg said.

At the same session, Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, called for the immediate and unconditional release of UN staff, NGO staff and civil society members arbitrarily detained by the Houthis since June this year, as well as colleagues detained since 2021 and 2023.

“The potential accusations against our colleagues are unacceptable,” said Msuya. “The arbitrary detention of humanitarian workers and false accusations against them continue to severely hamper our ability to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance in Yemen.”

She noted that the arrests reflect a growing and unacceptable pattern of attacks against humanitarian workers across the region, stressing that thanks to continued advocacy, the majority of detained UN staff were in contact with their families or relatives, and those in need of health care received it.