OHCHR That’s what security forces said on May 25 stormed a peaceful gathering the Bahá’ís in Sana’a. Seventeen people, including five women, were taken to an unknown location and all but one are still being held incommunicado.
The UN legal office called on the de facto Houthi authorities in Sana’a to release the detainees immediately.
call to kill
On June 2, according to OHCHR, Shamseddin Sharafeddin, the mufti appointed by leaders of the Houthi rebel movement, accused the imprisoned Bahá’ís of being traitors and said so If They Did Not Repent, They Should “Be Killed”.
Bahai is a faith that has emphasized the value of all religions since its inception in the 19th centuryth Century, according to the international community’s website, including “divine educators” such as Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Jesus and the Prophet Mohammed.
It is estimated that about one percent of Yemen’s non-Muslim population profess the faith.
Houthi rebels, who are Shia Muslims, have controlled Sanaa since 2014 as part of the longstanding conflict with officially recognized government forces and their allies for complete control of the country.
Sermon called for “discrimination and violence”.
Jeremy Laurence, OHCHR spokesman at a briefing in Geneva, condemned the use of “any language that incites discrimination and violence, particularly against minorities, often leading to forced exile and displacement,” in addition to violating international law.
“We remind the de facto authorities in Sana’a that they must respect the human rights of the people living under their control,” Mr Laurence added.
“Human rights guarantee minorities, among other things, the right to profess and practice their own religion and the Right to a fair trial before an independent and impartial tribunal,” he continued.
He said pre-trial detention “should be the exception and should only be used when appropriate and necessary based on an individual assessment of the case.”
