US condemns Ansar Allah (Houthis) over continued detention of Yemen embassy staff

In a forceful statement issued on December 11, 2025, the United States Department of State condemned the ongoing detention by the Houthi movement of current and former local employees of the US mission in Yemen. According to spokesperson Tommy Pigott, the arrests and the associated judicial proceedings amount to “unlawful detention” and “sham proceedings.”

Pigott stressed that these actions reveal the extent to which the Houthis rely on terror and repression — even against their own people — to remain in power.

The detained individuals are not US citizens but Yemeni nationals who previously worked for the US mission. Their continued detention — many without due process — violates longstanding diplomatic norms and international standards.

This condemnation comes amid a broader crackdown by the Houthis targeting employees from foreign diplomatic missions, the United Nations, and other humanitarian organisations. In recent months, dozens of UN and NGO staff have been detained in rebel-held areas, prompting appeals from the international community for their immediate release.