Baha’i Prisoners in Yemen Must Be Released as Promised

Source: Baha’i International Community 

GENEVA—8 April 2020—Two weeks after the televised announcement made by Mahdi Al-Mashat, the Baha’i International Community is gravely concerned that the decision of the Supreme Political Council to unconditionally pardon Hamed bin Haydara and to release all Baha’i prisoners in Sana’a has not yet been implemented.

The Baha’i International Community is dismayed by reports that the judiciary in Sana’a—the attorney general,  the Head of the Specialized Criminal Prosecution office, and the judge presiding over the case of the 24—appears to be obstructing direct implementation of the order.

“We urge again the Supreme Political Council to ensure the immediate implementation of its order—a pardon for Hamed bin Haydara and the dropping of the charges in the case of over 20 Baha’is and the immediate release of all six Baha’is currently in prison.” said Diane Ala’i, Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.