Mr. President,

More than 8 years have passed since my country Yemen has begun suffering from the actions of an extremist ideology. It has turned from the land of Sheba and other civilizations that were a beacon to humanity to a country in which a person is persecuted by his fellow citizen because of thought or belief. Since late 2014, the Houthis have systematically persecuted the Baha'is. Their actions against the Baha’is are an attempt to eliminate a people that are an integral part of the fabric of Yemeni society.  This is in defiance of International human rights principles and laws, which were enshrined in the Yemeni constitution, exposing thousands of Baha'is to continuous risks, including death sentences because of their faith.

The Baha'is continue to promote the principles of peaceful coexistence, citizenship and the raising community awareness in various fields in order to contribute to building a positive Yemeni society.  However, to this day, the Houthis continue to disseminate hate speech against the Baha'is in the media and through their educational programs that aim to create a state of societal hostility toward the Baha'is.

The Human Rights Council must continue to play an effective role to hold the Houthis to account for their actions, and to protect the Baha'is in Yemen by developing more effective mechanisms for monitoring and preventing the human rights violations of the Houthis'.