UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on the Houthis to release the hostages. (Source: UN)

In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk strongly condemned the attack on the UN human rights office in Sanaa (Yemen) in June this year, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of the arrested staff.

“The act of entering UN offices without permission and seizing documents and property by force is completely inconsistent with the privileges and immunities of the UN,” Mr. Turk stressed.

This is also a serious attack on the ability of the United Nations to carry out its mandate, including the promotion and protection of human rights that my office is here to protect. Ansar Allah (the official name of the Houthis) must leave the premises and return all property and belongings immediately.”

The arrests highlight the risks aid workers face in a country wracked by decades of civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people and sparked one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Forces in Yemen previously arrested two other UN human rights office staff in 2021 and 2023, forcing Mr. Turk to suspend operations in Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled territories and shift work to other parts of Yemen.