Houthis committed war crimes & violations and we identify names of those responsible for, UN report confirms
September Net
A UN report confirmed that Houthi militias committed widespread abuses in areas under their control amounting to war and international crimes, including murder, torture, child recruitment, arbitrary detention, the killing of civilians, indiscriminate shelling of populated areas, Serious freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression.
The report was issued by a team of regional and international human rights experts mandated by the Human Rights Council to conduct a comprehensive examination of the human rights situation in Yemen from September 2014 to June 2018.
The report expressed concern about the indiscriminate use of heavy weapons by the Houthi militias in populated urban areas, in violation of international humanitarian law and the denial of access to humanitarian and other goods indispensable for the survival of civilians.
The militias recruited large numbers of children by force, some at the age of eight, forced them to join the ranks of fighters by force and use them in combat and laying mines after collecting them from schools and hospitals and sometimes from their homes.
The Houthis also practiced other abuses such as arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture during detention and interrogation, including electrocution and dumping, some of which led to death, noting that the Houthis turned mosques, schools and houses confiscated from opposition to secret prisons where torture was practiced.
The report issued in Geneva and will be presented to the 39th session of the Human Rights Council to be held in September to discuss, that the snipers attacks of the Houthi militias resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties in the provinces of Hajjah and Taiz.
The Houthis took control of the highlands around Taiz, where civilians, including children and women, were sniped while in their homes, while they were bringing water from local wells or while going to hospitals for medical care.
The UN team collected testimonies to the Houthis’ using of mortar and artillery Hills, baskets, solitude, silk, hood and righteous, in blatant violation of the right to life.
It pointed out that in the areas under its control, the Houthi group has carried out acts of intimidation, arbitrary arrests and torture since 2015.
It also carried out crackdowns on the media in Sana’a. It blocked news websites, newspapers and television channels, closed down civil society organizations and their headquarters, targeted political opponents and froze their money and bank accounts.
The arrest of journalists and 23 journalists still held by the Houthi group in Sana’a. Others are in informal detention centers in Dhamar and Ibb.
Where possible, the UN team has identified individuals who may be responsible for violations and have been placed on a confidential list The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.