Iran-backed Houthis Accused of Using Dutch Embassy in Yemen's Sanaa as a Secret Prison

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The Iran-backed Houthis, have turned the Dutch Embassy building in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, into a secret prison where dozens of abductees and forcibly disappeared individuals are held under harsh living and health conditions. Security sources told Khabar Agency.

The Dutch Embassy took advantage of the post-2011 turmoil and closed a public street adjacent to its premises, turning it into a private courtyard. The embassy also constructed two isolating walls on the street, going beyond the usual concrete barriers, while ignoring citizens’ complaints about the encroachment on public space. This precedent, carried out with complicity from some official authorities at the time, later encouraged the Houthis to seize the building and repurpose it into an illegal detention facility.

The Dutch Embassy had closed its doors in Sanaa on February 13, 2015, following deteriorating security conditions due to the Houthi’s armed coup, which prompted its diplomatic staff to leave Yemen.

On July 5, 2024, the militia abducted Akram Al-Akhali, who serves as the official responsible for international development policies at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Yemen, from Iran Street in Hadda district. This incident is part of a systematic campaign targeting employees of foreign embassies and international organizations, whom the Houthis accuse of espionage.