Human Rights Ministry Condemns Saudi Detention of Yemeni Pilgrims

Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights condemned the Saudi regime’s detention of Yemeni pilgrims.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry considered this despicable act an insult to the feelings of Yemenis, a violation of the noble values of the Islamic religion, and a breach of laws, treaties, humanitarian principles, and social norms.

It condemned the complications and arbitrary measures taken by the Saudi regime against Yemeni pilgrims, as well as the obstacles it places every year in the way of all Muslims performing the Hajj pilgrimage. It accused the regime of turning these religious rituals and Muslim sanctities into a trap and arena for settling political scores.

The statement emphasized that these complications and arbitrary measures impose on the Islamic nation today, more than ever, the need to rescue this unifying religious value from tampering, as the Hajj does not belong to the Saudi regime alone but concerns all Muslims. This necessitates pressuring the Saudi regime and preventing it from making decisions and imposing illegal measures against the Holy Kaaba and the rituals of Hajj and Umrah.

The Ministry affirmed that the responsibility for the return of Yemeni pilgrims to the capital Sana’a lies with the Saudi authorities, in accordance with previously approved agreements. It held the Saudi regime fully responsible for all the psychological and material repercussions suffered by the detained Yemeni pilgrims, calling for their immediate return to Sana’a and compensation.

The statement called for lifting the blockade on Yemen, starting with the full and immediate opening of Sana’a International Airport and all airports, ports, and land crossings. It stressed that the continuation of such measures in the context of the blockade imposed by sea, land, and air on Yemen increases the suffering of pilgrims and all the Yemeni people.

The Ministry of Human Rights expressed regret at the continued international silence in the face of the aggressor states’ continuation of political extortion and the politicization of all issues with a humanitarian character. It called on the United Nations and international human rights organizations and bodies to assume their responsibilities towards these practices and the continued blockade, and the resulting crimes, violations, and catastrophic humanitarian suffering.

Yemeni pilgrims face a complex situation as Saudi authorities have changed the return flight path of Yemenia Airways from Sana’a International Airport to Aden Airport. The pilgrims refused this change due to the additional costs and security risks associated with traveling through Aden Airport, which is controlled by UAE-backed forces with a notorious record of human rights violations, including the detention and abuse of travelers. Additionally, these forces have a history of “robbing and killing travelers returning to northern Yemeni provinces.”