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Urgent Call for the Release of Detained Humanitarian Workers in Yemen
A coalition of leaders from several affected United Nations (UN) bodies and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) urgently appeals for the prompt and unconditional liberation of all personnel being held in Yemen by the Houthi authorities.
Our collective concern swells concerning the recent confinement of 17 individuals linked to our organizations, alongside numerous others associated with civil society, national and international NGOs, and various entities devoted to humanitarian efforts.
This wave of detentions is notable not only within Yemen but represents a troubling trend on a global scale. Such actions significantly obstruct our capacity to assist those who are most at risk in Yemen—a group that encompasses approximately 18.2 million individuals in dire need of humanitarian support and protection.
We implore the Houthi authorities to disclose the precise locations where detainees are being held and provide information regarding their treatment, while also granting immediate access to them.
The unjust deprivation of freedom is explicitly prohibited under international law. Additionally, International Humanitarian Law mandates all parties involved in armed conflict honor and safeguard humanitarian staff from any forms of harassment or unlawful detention.
The systematic targeting of humanitarian workers, human rights advocates, and developmental aid personnel must come to an end. We insist upon the swift release of all those currently detained without delay.
Endorsed By:
- Achim Steiner, Administrator at UNDP
- Amitabh Behar, Executive Director (interim) at Oxfam International
- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General at UNESCO
- Catherine Russell, Executive Director at UNICEF
- Cindy McCain, Executive Director at WFP
- Inger Ashing, Chief Executive Officer at Save the Children International
- Michelle Nunn, President & CEO at CARE
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General at WHO
- Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
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