Houthi abuses against farmers on harvest day
English - Sunday 20 October 2019 الساعة 01:28 pm
An official document of the Houthi militia, the Iranian arm in Yemen, revealed the group's expansion of systematic robberies and looting of citizens' properties in areas under its control under various names.
In a remarkable development, the governor of Mahweet, appointed by the Houthi militias, directed directors across the directorates to tighten control of farmers' crops and presence alongside the harvest under the pretext of "Zakat and grain collection in kind."
According to identical local sources, farmers pay the zakat of their grain crops to the competent authorities in the country at the end of each harvest season voluntarily and on their own.
Al-Houthi militias introduced what they called the “General Authority for Zakat”, which entrusted its administration to elements loyal to the group, in clear violation of the laws and regulations and the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen, thus disrupting the function of the competent legal governmental bodies in the Ministry of Finance, the Capital Secretariat and local authorities in governorates and districts.
Abdullah al-Hamdani, a farmer in Sana'a province, said that the control measures planned by the Houthi militia against farmers during the harvest season are abuses and grave violations.
Al-Hamdani points out that farmers are affected by the high prices of oil derivatives, high transport fees, high prices of seeds and fertilizers and the spread of harmful pesticides.
Earlier, the Houthi militia issued a new forced circular to farmers in the areas under its control, in which it tried to force the farmers to "observe the dates of the Serbs" under the pretext of ripening the fruits
