Washington: New US legislation to hold the Houthi group accountable.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Follow-ups:

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee approved on Wednesday a new bill aimed at holding the Houthi group in Yemen accountable by obligating the State Department to investigate its practices and impose sanctions on its members, in light of human rights violations, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and extremist indoctrination. The bill is titled the "Houthi Accountability Act" and was introduced by Republican Representative for California, Darrell Issa. It requires the Secretary of State to submit a comprehensive report to Congress within 180 days, including the Houthis' efforts to spread a violent or anti-Semitic ideology, and an assessment of how this rhetoric affects regional security and stability. The bill also stipulates an assessment of the Houthis' interference in humanitarian aid, including restrictions on delivery operations, intimidation of relief workers, and manipulation of beneficiary lists for political or military purposes. The legislation obligates the State Department to submit a second report documenting a wide range of violations, including gender-based discrimination such as the imposition of "mahram" rules, child recruitment, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings. The legislation also provides for an annual identification of members who should face sanctions under the "Global Magnitsky Act" for gross human rights violations or obstruction of humanitarian aid. Representatives Darrell Issa and Brad Sherman, the Democratic co-sponsor of the bill, indicated that the legislation comes in response to the Houthis' escalating attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and their alliance with the Hamas movement since October 7, 2023. The bill is now scheduled to be referred to the House of Representatives for a full vote.