Mr. Vice-President,

Over 130 days have passed since the detention of 9 Yemeni Baha’is, including women, who have been forcibly disappeared and denied access to lawyers or due process. In May 2023, armed Houthis with semi-automatic weapons raided a peaceful Baha'i gathering,  detaining 17 Baha’is, including five women. So far, only eight individuals have been released. The Baha'is in Yemen want the best for their country, and should be allowed to gather peacefully. 

The detained Baha'is, especially two women, have faced intense pressure from Houthi security to recant their beliefs and sign documents that prohibit their religious practice, both of which they resisted—in a clear demonstration of religious persecution.

This assault aims to terrorize Yemeni Baha’is and plant fears of reprisals that could threaten the Baha’i community’s existence. 

Mr. Vice-President, 

Seven UN Security Council members, including Albania, Brazil, France, Malta, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, called for the immediate release of the Yemeni Baha’is and protection of their religious freedoms by the de facto authorities. We seek continued  international support to urge the Houthis to release the detained Baha’is immediately and without delay.

This Council session will be adopting a resolution on Yemen. To convey the International community’s disapproval of the Houthis behavior, it must explicitly include a reference to freedom of religion or belief and mention the rights of the Baha’is by name.