Houthi-led Yemeni government releases Baha’i prisoners overturning previous court verdict

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels that control the Yemeni capital of Sana’a have ordered the release of six Baha’i prisoners, including Hamid bin Haiydara, the leader of the Baha’i minority in Yemen. The President of the Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al-Mashat made the announcement on March 25.
The announcement came after an appeals court in Sana’a upheld Haydara’s death sentence three days before, which was first handed down in January 2018.
In a statement, the Baha’i International Community (BIC) welcomed the announcement but said that they want it implemented immediately. The BIC previously described their imprisonment as “religiously motivated,” and driven by “baseless charges.”
“Like all other Yemeni citizens, Baha’is should be permitted to practice their faith freely, in keeping with the universal principles of freedom of religion or belief. The Baha’is of Yemen have and will continue to contribute to the life of their country and their fellow citizens,” the BIC stated.
The community also called on the National Salvation Government to drop charges against 20 other faith believers who were charged in 2018 and return assets belonging to that community that were confiscated by Yemeni authorities.
Haydara’s trial lasted five years after he was found guilty by a Houthi court of spying for Israel, a decision that Amnesty International said was unfair and biased.
“This decision, taken in Hamid Haydara’s absence, is only the latest development in what has been a flagrantly-flawed trial and indicates the lengths to which the Houthis are willing to go to consolidate their control,” said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director.
Earlier, the United States and other countries publicly expressed their concerns about the treatment of the Baha’i community by the Houthis.
Amnesty International has documented the cases of 66 individuals, the vast majority of which are men, who were brought before the Sana’a-based Specialised Criminal Court, a Houthi creation, between 2015 and 2020.
The Baha’i community has been living in Yemen for over 150 years. The faith first emerged from Iran in 1844 but is currently prohibited by the modern Islamic Republic. Baha’i followers are systematically persecuted by the Iranian state and their proxies in the wider Middle East. There are an estimated six million Baha’i followers worldwide, with the highest concentration of followers and Baha’i holy sites currently located in Israel.