Several days ago, the Associated Press reported that the Yemeni authorities detained six Iranian Baha’is, for allegedly belonging to a rebel group. The news came as surprising to many; Yemen had provided a relatively safer haven for Baha’is to freely practise their faith.

We contacted HOOD, Yemen’s priemer human rights NGO, requesting more information and they confirmed they’re acting as lawyers to the detained Baha’is. Contrary to news reports, not all the detainees are Iranian nationals; two are Yemenis and one is an Iraqi.

We were relieved when informed that the two Yemenis have been released, while the others are expected to be released soon.

Still, many questions remain unanswered and we will follow up once we have more information