Six members of the United Nations Security Council called for 11 Baha’is in Yemen—who were forcibly disappeared in a violent Houthi raid on 25 May, and who are still detained—to be released and for their religious freedoms to be respected by the de facto authorities. Albania, Brazil, France, Malta, the United Kingdom and the United States each called for the release of the Yemeni Baha’is.

A video of the raid was captured on Zoom and showed several masked gunmen entering a room where the Baha’is were gathered and accosting them, before the line was cut.

The raid seized 17 Baha’is in total, including five women, and only six individuals have been released so far. Two of the women have experienced severe pressure from the Houthi security services to recant their beliefs—which they resisted—in a clear demonstration of religious persecution.

The latest support from Security Council members came as the body has repeatedly convened to consider the wider crisis in Houthi-controlled Yemen.

“Storming into a peaceful Baha’i gathering armed with semi-automatic weapons has just one goal,” said Bani Dugal, the Baha’i International Community’s (BIC) Principal Representative to the United Nations. “The masked Houthi gunmen who staged this appalling raid in May were attempting to terrorize Yemeni Baha’is. The Houthis are trying to plant fears of reprisals that might eradicate the Baha’i community and to push detainees into recanting their faith. The effort has failed, and the grotesque goals of this raid are exposed for the world to see.”

“But 11 Baha’is are still detained, without access to lawyers, family, or any kind of due process and without any regard for their human rights. Pressuring the followers of a religion to recant their faith is also a violation of the freedom of religion or belief—and if the Houthis want to be taken seriously then they should take heed of their responsibilities under international law. But instead, the Houthis attacked the Baha’is out of pure religious prejudice—perhaps with encouragement from the Iranian government. The Baha’is must be released without delay, and all freedom of religion or belief rights must be respected,” Ms. Dugal added.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, representing the United States at the Security Council as well as serving as its president, said “too many innocent people are still in detention … including wrongfully targeted individuals and members of religious communities. We call for the release of all those who have been unjustly detained, including [the] 11 Baha’i” individuals.”

The French delegate also called for the “immediate release” of the Baha’is while reiterating France’s “commitment to freedom of religion or belief, just like all fundamental freedoms.” Brazil also recalled “the importance of fully respecting the rights of religious minorities.”

Albania offered a strong condemnation of the detention of the Baha’is—saying that it “deplore[d]” the “mistreatment of religious minorities in the country and call[ed] on the Houthis to immediately release the Baha’i abductees.” The United Kingdom and Malta also called for the release of the Baha’is while the exiled Yemeni government insisted on the release of all detainees.

“The Houthis have released some of the 17 Baha’is detained in May. But even those who have been released do not have freedom of movement, and may not leave their home-towns without permission, meaning that they are erased from Yemen’s wider society,” Ms. Dugal said.

“The Baha’is in Yemen continue to need the support of the international community,” Ms. Dugal added. “Thirteen people were behind bars when the Security Council met in July. Several member States called for their release at that time and two have since been freed. Supporters of human rights around the world must therefore surround the Houthis with rebukes and warnings until they free the remaining 11 detained Baha’is.”

The Cairo Institute issued a statement in English and Arabic—also signed by four other groups—demanding “the immediate release of the abductees and an end to the inflammatory rhetoric of hate directed at religious minorities and Baha’is in Yemen.” Amnesty International also released an urgent action on the detentions.

A full update on the recent situation of the Baha’is in Houthi-controlled Yemen—as well as international statements of support for the Baha’is—can be seen at the BIC’s website.