Yemen orders release of all Bahai prisoners: India's Bahai association

Authorities in Yemen have ordered the release of all Bahai prisoners as well as a pardon for Hamed bin Haydara, a member of the community, whose death sentence was recently upheld by an appeals court in Sana'a, according to an official statement issued by India's Bahai association.

The international Bahai community welcomes the announcement and calls for its immediate implementation, it said.

The six Bahais to be released, who were wrongfully imprisoned in Sana'a for years on the basis of their religious beliefs and made to face a series of baseless charges, are Hamed bin Haydara, Waleed Ayyash, Akram Ayyash, Kayvan Ghaderi, Badiullah Sanai and Wael al-Arieghie, the statement issued by the office of public affairs of the Bahais of India said.

The latest order must lead to the lifting of the 2018 charges against a group of over 20 Bahais, the returning of all Bahai-owned assets and properties, and the functioning of Bahai institutions, it added.

"Like all other Yemeni citizens, Bahais should be permitted to practise their faith freely, in keeping with the universal principles of freedom of religion or belief. The Bahais of Yemen have and will continue to contribute to the life of their country and their fellow citizens," the statement said.

(Picture Credit: representative image/AP)