• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: RELEASE FOUR ARBITRARILY DETAINED BAHA’IS (Sixth UA Yemen 60.23)

July 16, 2024

On June 21, 2024, the Huthi de facto authorities released Baha’i human rights activist, Abdullah al-Olofi, from over a year in arbitrary detention, yet are continuing to arbitrarily detain four other Baha’is. According to credible sources, the Huthis forced Abdullah al-Olofi to sign a pledge that he would refrain from engaging in any Bahá’í related activities. On May 25, 2023, armed Huthi forces stormed a peaceful gathering of Baha’is in a private residence in Sana’a and arbitrarily detained 17 people, including five women. They forcibly disappeared them for around four months until their families learned they were being held at Huthi-run security and intelligence detention centers in Sana’a. Between June 2023 and June 2024, 13 individuals, including Abdullah al-Olofi and all five women, were released following international pressure. The four remaining Bahai’s are held without charge and denied their right to legal counsel.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: January 11, 2025

take action:

  • Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  • Click here to let us know the actions you took on Sixth Urgent Action 60.23. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

contact information:

Spokesperson for the Huthi de facto authorities 

Mohamed Abdelsalam 

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter/X: @abdusalamsalah  

sample letter:

Dear Mohamed Abdelsalam, 

While I welcome the release of human rights activist, Abdullah al-Olofi – although he should have never been detained in the first place – I am extremely concerned about the remaining four detained Bahai individuals, Abdul’elah Muhammad al-Boni, 30, Hassan Tariq Thabet al-Zakari, 28, Muhammad Bashir Abdel Jalil, 25, and Ibrahim Ahmad Jo’eil, 49, and I demand their immediate and unconditional release. 

On May 25, 2023, Huthi armed forces stormed a peaceful gathering of the Baha’is in a private residence in Sana’a and arbitrarily detained 17 people, including five women. They forcibly disappeared them for around four months until their families learned they were being held at Huthi-run security and intelligence centers in Sana’a. Between June 2023 and June 2024, 13 individuals, including all five women, were released following international pressure. The remaining four detainees are held without charge and denied their right to legal counsel. 

I therefore call on the Huthi de facto authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all four Baha’i detainees in their custody. I also call on the authorities to end all forms of discrimination and persecution of the Baha’i minority and all others who are targeted solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights including to freedom of religion and belief. 

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: