Irada Org Condemns Houthis’ Abduction of 5 UN Employees.
Irada Organization Against Torture and Enforced Disappearance condemns in the strongest terms the abduction carried out by Houthis militia against a number of employees of United Nations agencies and organizations in the capital, Sana’a, during the wide-scale campaign of arbitrary arrests on Sunday and Monday, constituting a dangerous escalation against humanitarian work and a serious violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The Houthis campaign targeted a number of Yemeni staff members working with various UN agencies and programs, including:
Ahmed Dhabyan – Staff member, UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS)
Ramzi Abdulqawi Al-Fardi – Administrative Affairs Officer, World Food Programme (WFP), Sa’dah Governorate
Mahmoud Saeed Othman – Security and Safety Officer, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Ghassan Sharaf Ad-Din – Staff member, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA – Yemen)
Rabee Al-Shaibani – Protocol Officer, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
According to available information, the arrest campaign is still ongoing, involving raids on the homes of other employees working in humanitarian and relief agencies. These acts constitute a flagrant violation of the right to privacy and the legal protections guaranteed to humanitarian workers under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
Irada Organization considers these actions as part of a systematic pattern of violations targeting humanitarian operations, aimed at undermining the independence of international organizations and imposing coercive control over their programs and activities through intimidation and unlawful detention for political and financial gain.
Expressing its full solidarity with the victims and their families, Irada Organization Against Torture and Enforced Disappearance calls for the following:
1. Immediate and unconditional release of all abducted UN employees and guarantees for their physical and psychological safety.
2. Cessation of all forms of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance practiced by Houthis terrorist militia against civilians and humanitarian workers.
3. The United Nations and the UN Security Council must fulfill their legal and moral obligations to ensure the protection of their personnel and humanitarian workers in Yemen.
4. An urgent and independent international investigation must be opened into these violations and those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with international justice principles.
The organization warns that the continuation of such violations will paralyze humanitarian operations in areas controlled by Houthis and worsen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, as millions of Yemenis rely on humanitarian aid now threatened by the practices of Houthi armed militia.
Issued by Irada Organization Against Torture and Enforced DisappearanceTuesday, Oct 7, 2025
Geneva – Switzerland