Member of Baha'i community arrested in Yemen

Member of Baha'i community arrested in Yemen

 Abdullah Al-Olofi was on his way to the market in Sana’a when he was surrounded by armed soldiers in two pick-up trucks, blindfolded and taken away.
Abdullah Al-Olofi was on his way to the market in Sana’a when he was surrounded by armed soldiers in two pick-up trucks, blindfolded and taken away.
Geneva—12 October 2018

The spokesperson for the Baha’i community in Yemen has been arrested and taken to an undisclosed location, the Baha’i International Community has learned. 

Abdullah Al-Olofi was on his way to the market in Sana’a on 11 October when he was surrounded by armed soldiers in two pick-up trucks, blindfolded and taken away. 

The arrest comes a day after a group of UN experts condemned charges brought against more than 20 Baha’is in Yemen falsely accused of apostasy and espionage and called for them to be immediately dropped.

“This latest arrest is extremely worrying considering the recent intensification of persecutions against the Baha’i community in Yemen,” said Diane Alai, Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. 

“We have every reason to be concerned for the safety of the Baha’i community as a result and call upon the Houthi authorities in Sana’a to immediately cease the targeting of Yemeni citizens due to their religious beliefs.”

On 29 September, a judge ordered that the properties and assets of more than 20 Baha’is accused be frozen until a court verdict is issued and ordered that their names be published in a newspaper, further endangering the lives of the Yemeni Baha’i community.  

UN resolution called for the immediate release of all Baha'is detained in Yemen due to their religious beliefs and to cease any harassment they are subjected to.

Hamed Bin Haydara, a member of the Yemeni Baha'i Community, detained since 2013, was sentenced to public execution for his faith earlier this year. Mr Haydara is currently one of six Baha'is imprisoned in the country for practicing their faith. 

Following a protracted court case and a cruel four-year imprisonment, a final court hearing was held while the defendant was prevented from attending and handed the death sentence.

In a televised speech broadcast to a wide audience within and outside of Yemen earlier this year, the leader of the Houthis, Abdel Malik al Houthi, vehemently vilified and denounced the Baha’i Faith, further intensifying the ongoing persecution of the Baha’is in that country.

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Arabic translation Here

For more information on the persecutions against the Baha'i community in Yemen, visit here

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For more information, contact:

Rayyan Sabet 

Senior Information Officer

(+1) 347-282-1482

[email protected]

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