Michigan - The American Center for Justice (ACJ) expresses deep concern over confirmed reports that several arbitrarily detained Yemeni employees who worked at the U.S. Embassy and affiliated organizations have been referred for criminal prosecution and interrogated without legal representation. ACJ emphasizes that this action is part of the ongoing crackdown by the Houthi group against employees of foreign entities and international organizations.

The ACJ reports that the Houthi group recently referred six Yemeni employees—who had worked at the U.S. Embassy and organizations like USAID and the American Language Institute—to criminal prosecution. These employees were arrested by Houthi-controlled de facto authorities in Sana'a in October 2021. Among them is 74-year-old Abdulqadir Al-Saqqaf, who was interrogated without the presence of his lawyer. Al-Saqqaf, who served as head of the political section at the U.S. Embassy for 27 years, retired before the outbreak of the war in Yemen.

In mid-June, Houthi-affiliated media released a video showing Al-Saqqaf and his colleagues confessing to working for U.S. intelligence, a violation of legal norms.

The ACJ stresses that the Houthi group's decision to prosecute these employees based on such accusations is an attempt to legitimize its arrests and violations against them. The referral to criminal prosecution is part of the group's usual tactic of using politicized courts under its control, posing a serious threat to the detainees' lives. The ACJ also highlights that the criminal prosecution and specialized court controlled by the Houthis are unconstitutional and violate the judicial authority law in terms of their formation and scope.

The ACJ further affirms that the ongoing detention of these employees, the extraction of confessions, and their broadcast is unacceptable and illegal. The detainees have been denied communication with their families and lawyers, worsening their suffering amid unknown detention conditions. The ACJ points to the case of Abdulhamid Al-Ajami, a former USAID employee who died in prison in May 2022 after being detained since November 2021 and deprived of critical kidney medication.

Previously, the ACJ issued a statement regarding the mass arrests of these employees by the Houthi group, expressing grave concern for their lives. The forced video confessions, under Houthi control, amount to a death sentence due to the militia's dominance over the judiciary.

In light of these serious developments, the ACJ renews its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained employees of U.S. institutions. It also urges the U.S. government to apply the necessary pressure on the Houthi group to halt its repeated violations against these workers and ensure their release.

The ACJ emphasizes that targeting employees of international organizations is a flagrant violation of human rights and impedes global efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.