UNESCO renews its call to the Houthis to immediately release its kidnapped staff in Sana’a

UNESCO renewed its call to the Houthi militia to immediately release its employees kidnapped in its prisons in Sana'a.

The UN organization said in a statement that this "arbitrary detention" practiced by the Houthi group "is an unacceptable violation of the status granted to UN employees under international law."

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay renewed her call to the Houthis, who are illegally detaining four of the organization’s employees, to release them immediately and unconditionally.

The Houthis kidnapped four UNESCO employees, the first since 2021, the second since 2023, and two others were kidnapped in June 2024, in addition to approximately 50 employees from the United Nations, international and local NGOs, civil society, and diplomatic missions, according to the statement.