US presses Yemen’s Huthis to drop Baha’i charges

WASHINGTON: The United States has urged Yemen’s Huthi rebels to drop charges targeting the Baha’i community, which said that 24 believers of the faith will face a new trial session on Tuesday.

Sam Brownback, the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, voiced concern at reports that a court in Yemen’s Huthi-controlled capital Sanaa is again summoning the the Baha’is who in 2018 were slapped with charges that include apostasy and espionage.

“We urge them to drop these allegations, release those arbitrarily detained, and respect religious freedom for all,” he wrote on Twitter. According to the Baha’i community, one member among the 24 to be tried Tuesday -- five of whom are already detained -- said that a prosecutor made clear that his arrest was due to his religion.