JEDDAH: Militias of deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthi group committed human rights violations when dozens of civilians in Taiz were killed or wounded in missile attacks earlier this week, according to a report issued by the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights.
The report, which was made available to Arab News, said the attacks occurred last Sunday through Tuesday.
“Today, Tuesday, the militia committed a new massacre against civilians by launching three missiles toward neighborhoods in downtown leaving 18 victims, dead and injured,” the report said. “The initial toll resulted from direct targeting and indiscriminate shelling in three days, from 21 to 23 of May, 2017, has escalated to more than 36 civilian victims, 14 killed and 22 injured, most of which have serious injuries,” said the report.
It further added that at least 11 children were killed or injured.
“The act of direct targeting and indiscriminate shelling of houses and neighborhoods, which are only inhabited by citizens the majority of which are women and children, shows how this militia underestimates the life of citizens and is always ready to make civilians a target for its military actions or as human shields in order to embody the spirit of killing and destruction practiced by the militia against all Yemenis,” said the report.
The report also noted that such crimes and escalation against civilians occurred in conjunction with the visit of UN envoy Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed to the occupied Sanaa.
Moreover, the report said the coup militia continues to reject any international efforts toward peace.
The ministry said the publication of the report aims to condemn the criminal act and ensure the perpetrators will be punished.
“Accordingly, the ministry calls on all regional and international human rights organizations, headed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations to pressure and stand against these militias,” said the report.
Houthi-Saleh militia carried out massacre in Taiz: Govt
Houthi-Saleh militia carried out massacre in Taiz: Govt
Family of Palestinian-American shot dead by Israeli settler demand accountability
- Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community
LONDON: The family of a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man reportedly shot dead by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank have demanded accountability, amid mounting scrutiny over a surge in settler violence and a lack of prosecutions.
Nasrallah Abu Siyam, a US citizen born in Philadelphia, was killed near the city of Ramallah on Wednesday, becoming at least the sixth American citizen to die in incidents involving Israeli settlers or soldiers in the territory in the past two years.
Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community. Witnesses said that stones were thrown by both sides before settlers opened fire, wounding at least three villagers.
Abu Siyam was struck and later died of his injuries.
Abdulhamid Siyam, the victim’s cousin, said the killing reflected a wider pattern of impunity.
“A young man of 19 shot and killed in cold blood, and no responsibility,” he told the BBC. “Impunity completely.”
The US State Department said that it was aware of the death of a US citizen and was “carefully monitoring the situation,” while the Trump administration said that it stood ready to provide consular assistance.
The Israeli embassy in Washington said the incident was under review and that an operational inquiry “must be completed as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said troops were deployed to the scene and used “riot dispersal means to restore order,” adding that no IDF gunfire was reported.
The military confirmed that the incident remained under review and said that a continued presence would be maintained in the area to prevent further unrest.
Palestinians and human rights organizations say such reviews rarely lead to criminal accountability, arguing that Israeli authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers accused of violence.
A US embassy spokesperson later said that Washington “condemns this violence,” as international concern continues to grow over conditions in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli authorities routinely fail to investigate or prosecute settlers accused of violence against civilians.
Those concerns were echoed this week by the UN, which warned that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank may amount to ethnic cleansing.
A UN human rights office report on Thursday said that Israeli settlement expansion, settler attacks and military operations have increasingly displaced Palestinian communities, with dozens of villages reportedly emptied since the start of the Gaza war.
The report also criticized Israeli military tactics in the northern West Bank, saying that they resembled warfare and led to mass displacement, while noting abuses by Palestinian security forces, including the use of unnecessary lethal force and the intimidation of critics.
Neither Israel’s foreign ministry nor the Palestinian Authority has commented on the findings.
