Destruction of thousands of installations… Human rights report exposes Houthi crimes in Yemen
A Yemeni human rights report exposed the crimes of the Houthi terrorist militia in bombing civilian objects and installations in 14 Yemeni provinces.
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms revealed that Iranian-backed militias destroyed 27,541 civilian facilities in 14 governorates in three years.
Article 147 of the 1949 Geneva Convention prohibits the targeting and destruction of civilian objects and article 25 of the 1907 Hague Regulation criminalizes the bombing of unprotected towns, villages, houses and buildings by any means.
Destruction of government facilities
The report, which covered the period from 30 June 2018 to 30 December 2021, confirmed that residential facilities were the most affected, with 20,996 cases of attacks on civilian homes, ranging from total and partial destruction to incursions, searches, occupation, looting and tampering by terrorist militias.
He also stressed that the indiscriminate Houthi attacks destroyed public and private properties, including educational, health and service facilities, government headquarters, vital projects and facilities, archeological and tourist landmarks, houses of worship, roads, bridges, houses and residential complexes, headquarters of parties, bodies and local and international organizations, factories, investment companies, shops, farms and water wells, etc.
According to the report, indiscriminate attacks by militias with various types of heavy and medium weapons targeted densely populated residential neighborhoods, popular markets and shops.
Civilian objects in Taiz and Marib provinces were the most affected by the bombardment with ballistic missiles and booby-trapped aircraft, he said.
The report called for the formation of an inventory of the extent of damage and loss to civilian objects, particularly “private property” by the Iranian-backed Houthi destruction machine.
On Tuesday, Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed described Houthi militias as a “rogue group and terrorist organization”, saying that “the recent terrorist attacks by Houthi militias on Saudi Arabia paint the complete picture of this rogue group”.
In a series of posts on his Twitter account, Abdulmalik said that Houthi militias as a terrorist organization are not only targeting Yemen, its neighbors and the region, but also the interests of the world at a sensitive and dangerous moment.
“This image, which was clear to everyone from the beginning, is unequivocal today, revealing the terrorist reality of the Houthi militias and their complete dependence on Iran, their rejection of all peace efforts and calls for dialog, the latest of which is the important call by the Gulf Co-operation Council for consultations that spare no one”, he said.
Yemeni political analyst Abdul Sattar al-Shumairi said Houthi attacks on civilians and civilian objects are war crimes that are prohibited by all international conventions and laws.
Al-Shamiri said that Iranian determination behind the idea that the Houthi is a project that should be continued and extended and not to deal with any calls or political solution is the reason for Houthi intransigence.
“Iran’s project, which rejects any solution, is behind this, and the fact that Houthi militias are linked to Tehran makes them vulnerable to Iranian trends”, he added.
Undermining calls for peace
For eight years, terrorist attacks by the Houthi-led militia have grown, with civilian objects still under indiscriminate bombardment putting millions of Yemenis at risk of death.
International humanitarian law is based on principles, the most important of which is the need to distinguish between military and civilian objects, said Mokhtar al-Wafi, secretary-general of the Yemeni Legal Center. Article 25 of the Annex to the Geneva Conventions on Armed Conflict affirms that homes, schools, stadiums, hospitals, cultural and other objects are civilian objects, not military ones, and they cannot be attacked or targeted militarily.
According to the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms, the coup militias committed more than 3,419 crimes and violations against civilians in Ibb governorate between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.
In a previous report, the crimes killed 213 civilians, including children, women and the elderly, wounded 189 others, and beaten 121 people, including 26 children, 21 women and 18 elderly people.
Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani said the targeting of civilians and civilian objects inside Yemen and neighboring countries undermines calls for peace.
In a series of tweets, the Yemeni official described the Houthi attacks as a dangerous escalation, saying that the militias do not want to be part of any dialog table that ends the war, or part of a process to build peace in Yemen and establish security and stability in the region.
“The targeting of civilian objects, civilians and economic facilities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones reflects the Houthis’ rejection of peace after the GCC called for a Yemeni-Yemeni dialog to bring peace to the country”, he said
