The Houthis in Yemen seized the United Nations human rights office in the capital, Sana'a, on August 3. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, stated in a press release, "The Ansar Allah forces must leave the premises and return all movable and immovable property immediately." Turk emphasized that "entering a UN office without permission and forcibly seizing documents and property is completely contrary to the privileges and immunities granted to the United Nations." He confirmed that this constitutes a "serious violation of the United Nations’ ability to carry out its functions."
The spokesperson for the High Commissioner, Ravina Shamdasani, clarified at a press conference in Geneva that the incident occurred on August 3, roughly two months after a wave of detentions targeted UN personnel and NGOs. She noted that the Houthis arrested 13 UN employees on June 6 and 7, including six working at the UN human rights office, as well as over 50 employees from non-governmental organizations and another from one embassy.
Shamdasani added, "There are two employees of the United Nations human rights office who have been detained since November 2021 and August 2023 respectively, and they are being held in an undisclosed location." The Houthis claimed to have arrested members of an "American-Israeli spy network" operating under the guise of humanitarian organizations, allegations that the United Nations has firmly denied.
On July 30, the office informed the Houthis of its "suspension of operations" in Sana'a for security reasons. Shamdasani stated, "On August 3, the authorities of the de facto Ansar Allah sent a delegation to the United Nations human rights office in Sana'a" and forced "the staff to hand over their properties, including documents, furniture, vehicles, and office keys." She continued: "The Ansar Allah compelled the staff to go to the office to deliver the equipment."
