On the sidelines of the 42nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Partners for Transparency Foundation presented an oral intervention to the member states of the Council, in which it criticized the violations committed by the Houthi militia against civilians in Yemen, some of which amount to war crimes.
The intervention confirmed that the military escalation is still continuing, whether through bombing houses or targeting civilians by snipers, and the intervention added that from the beginning of this year until the end of July, the Foundation monitored, in cooperation with field activists in the Yemeni province of Al-Dhala ', the Houthi militia destroying 712 homes and facilities, and detonating 31 houses 4 bridges were destroyed, and 9 mosques were attacked, which were converted into military barracks. In addition, 1,320 farms for citizens were looted and destroyed, 17 water pumps were destroyed, and the Houthi militia targeted a large number of schools and educational institutions.
This is in addition to the prosecution of opponents, their detention in secret prisons, and their submission to trials that lack the most basic standards of fair trial, which execute and imprison large numbers of Yemenis. The Houthi’s violations are not limited to the arrest and detention of civilians. Rather, the detainees are subjected to brutal torture that leads to death.
The intervention also reviewed the Houthi militia’s recruitment of tens of thousands of children, in violation of Article 38 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, which stipulates the prohibition of the participation of children in armed conflicts. This is in addition to the ongoing suffering of Yemeni women who are detained and subjected to sexual assault. During the first half of 2019, 120 cases of detention of women were monitored in Sana'a Governorate only, most of them were detained in criminal investigation facilities.
Finally, the International Community Partners Foundation called for immediate steps to hold the Houthi militia accountable for gross and systematic violations of human rights, especially with regard to targeting civilians and child recruitment. Investigate all cases of torture in the prisons of the Houthi militia in accordance with international standards, take immediate measures to hold those responsible accountable, and provide remedies to the victims. And the use of all possible means to address the violations of the Houthis, on top of which is the imposition of sanctions referred to in the laws of war.
