A human rights report documents dozens of Houthi crimes against civilians in Taiz
English - Sunday 05 April 2020 الساعة 03:36 pm
Taiz, Newsyemen:
The Human Rights Information and Rehabilitation Center (hritc) revealed its documentation of 133 violations committed against civilians in the governorate of Taiz during the month of March 2020, committed by a number of parties in the various directorates of the province.
The Center has monitored the killing of 20 civilians, including 5 children and 3 women. The Houthi militia caused the death of 13 civilians, with 10 civilians, including 3 children and a woman, killed during the Houthi militia's bombardment of residential neighborhoods with various shells, during which 3 bloody massacres were committed in one day that killed 8 civilians, including two children, a woman and injuring 6 civilians.
One civilian was killed by direct fire by the Houthi militia, and also a militia sniper killed one child and a woman was killed by a mine explosion planted by the Houthi militia, and gunmen killed one civilian, while unidentified gunmen killed 3 civilians with direct fire, and one woman by hanging and burning in front of her children. Armed members of the army killed two civilians, one of them was a child.
The center's field team documented the injury of 11 civilians, including 4 children and two women. The Houthi militia injured 8, including two children and two women, all of whom were wounded by projectiles that the militia threw into residential neighborhoods, while 3 civilians, including two children, were wounded by unidentified gunmen.
The Center's field team monitored 3 cases of violations of freedom of opinion and expression, two cases committed by armed individuals in the army, and a third case committed by armed men outside the framework of the state.
The field team of the Information and Rehabilitation Center for Human Rights has documented 46 cases of displacement from the marginalized to the camp of displaced persons in the center of Tor Al-Baha district, who fled from their homes close to military confrontations between the Houthi militia and government forces in the village of Habour al-Aqroud “Ras al-Naqil” in Al-Aqroud area south of Taiz.
The field team of the Information and Rehabilitation Center for Human Rights reported a kidnapping case committed by the Houthi militia.
The center uncovered 52 cases of violations of public and private property between burning, looting, destruction, and partial and total damage, including 4 cases of public property and 48 cases of private property. The Houthi militia caused damage to the burn department and the former operations building of Al-Thawra Hospital due to artillery shelling, and burned 160 tons of wheat from humanitarian aid provided by World Food Program.
A police station building was damaged by clashes between gunmen outside the state and members of the government army, and a court in West Taiz was stormed by armed individuals in the government army.
With regard to private property, the Houthi militia has damaged 34 private properties, where 5 houses were totally destroyed, 14 others were partially damaged, 3 vehicles were destroyed, and 7 other vehicles were damaged by intense shelling with various medium and heavy weapons, and Houthi gunmen destroyed 5 shops.
Unidentified gunmen stormed a house and burned a private vehicle, and 5 private buildings were partially damaged due to clashes between gunmen outside the country’s framework, and 3 houses and 4 special vehicles were damaged by the clashes between gunmen outside the state and members of the government army.
The Center’s monthly report touched on the intensification of the Houthi militia's shelling of the Al-Zahra and Qalaba neighborhood, east of the city, which is one of the most affected districts due to the shelling and sniping over the past years during the war.
It also bombed the old airport neighborhood in the west of the city and the residential neighborhoods north of the city, and intensified its shelling on the villages of Al-Malafis in Tour Al-Baha and Al-Hajama village in Al-Aboos, Haifan.
Pursuing the siege and restrictions on civilians, the Houthi militia prevented citizens leaving the city and entering the Hajda and Al Barah area, especially the people of Sharab and Shamir, and Maqbana, from entering without expressing any special reason. Hajda is the main market for these villages, and this led to the accumulation of vehicles in the areas of Haraz and Al Khalafah.
The liberated areas are witnessing security disturbances and imbalances as a result of the multiplicity of armed groups outside the framework of the state that are practicing a number of outlawed acts, from looting and breaking into homes and shops, cutting roads and clashes in residential neighborhoods, causing terror among civilians, imposing royalties and other acts that undermine security and stability.
According to the report, assassinations of leaders and individuals in security and resistance by unknown gunmen continue, in addition to assaulting and pillaging civilians and amounting to storming a woman’s house and killing her by hanging and burning her in front of her children, according to the report.
