"Yemen's Houthi-run government will put dozens of detained United Nations staff on trial, alleging that they have spied for Israel or had links to an Israeli air strike that killed the prime minister, according to officials. Abdulwahid Abu Ras, Yemen's acting foreign minister, told the Reuters news agency on Friday that a cell within the UN's World Food Programme was involved in directly targeting the government."
"The UN, which has repeatedly rejected Houthi accusations, said on Friday that a total of 36 UN employees were arrested after Israel's attack. It says that at least 59 UN personnel are being held by the group. Abu Ras told Reuters that security agencies were acting under full judicial supervision and that public prosecutors were being kept informed step by step. It was certain, he said, that the process would lead to trials and the issuance of judicial rulings."
"Separately, Nasruddin Amer, a senior Houthi official, told the dpa news agency on Friday that the detained UN workers would be tried on charges of spying for Israel. The judiciary will determine the penalty for those accused of spying for Israel in accordance with Yemeni law, Amer said. This is not a law we enacted. It is a law that has been in effect and applied in the country by previous regimes."
Dozens of United Nations staff in Houthi-controlled Yemen are detained and face trial on accusations of spying for Israel or involvement in an Israeli air strike that killed the Houthi prime minister and ministers. At least 59 UN personnel are being held, and 36 were arrested after the Sanaa strike. Houthi officials claim a cell within the UN World Food Programme directly targeted the government. Houthi security forces entered several UN offices in Sanaa. Officials say security agencies are acting under judicial supervision and prosecutors are being informed. Yemeni law allows the death penalty for espionage, and some detained UN defendants are Yemeni nationals.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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