Houthi forces grabbed at least 70 Islah party members from Dhamar back in October, and Human Rights Watch is calling out the whole operation as blatantly illegal under Yemeni law. The group says 21 people got dragged into trials where 17 ended up facing firing squads, and two more caught decade-long prison sentences without proper warrants or charges.
The crackdown expanded beyond political opponents when authorities snatched 19 UN workers, which prompted the Yemen envoy to blast them for violating basic protections. Niku Jafarnia from HRW wants everyone released immediately, and she pointed out that journalists, lawyers, and civil society staff are also sitting in detention. The Houthis have been locking up opponents since they seized Sanaa back in 2014, but the arrests have ramped up hard over recent months.
The crackdown expanded beyond political opponents when authorities snatched 19 UN workers, which prompted the Yemen envoy to blast them for violating basic protections. Niku Jafarnia from HRW wants everyone released immediately, and she pointed out that journalists, lawyers, and civil society staff are also sitting in detention. The Houthis have been locking up opponents since they seized Sanaa back in 2014, but the arrests have ramped up hard over recent months.
