UN seeks clarity after reports Houthi authorities may prosecute detained UN staff in Yemen
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Summary
The UN said it is following up on media reports that Houthi authorities planned to prosecute UN staff; the spokesperson said earlier stories were corrected, the UN is engaging with de facto authorities and called for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained UN and NGO personnel.
A journalist asked about reports that Houthi de facto authorities in Sana'a intended to put UN staff on trial in relation to Israeli attacks in August. The UN spokesperson said the original press reports had been corrected and that the UN would follow up directly with de facto authorities in Sana'a.
"We're obviously gonna follow up, with the de facto authorities about these statements," the spokesperson said, adding that the UN calls for the immediate release of all UN colleagues who have been detained arbitrarily, as well as staff from NGOs and diplomatic missions.
The spokesperson said the UN will continue to engage with the Houthis, member states and partners to push for releases and to protect staff; no details on the number of detained UN personnel, charges or trial dates were provided during the briefing.