Yemen 2014 09 24 en

The International Association of Rights and Freedoms is following up the rapid events and developments that are taking place in Yemen and it delegated a field team to monitor the violations committed by the armed Houthi and the team recorded the following violations and observations: Houthis turned against the agreement of the political settlement which is known as (Khaliji initiative) that is supported by Khaliji Cooperation Council and the Security Council of the United Nations. The agreement includes the transfer of power in the country peacefully, the election of the president and the formation of a government of national consensus equally between the party of Al Moatamer El Shapy Al Aam and the parties of the Joint meeting(the opposition), making a national dialogue leading to the formulation of a new constitution in the country, and the search for solutions to the issues and problems that the country suffers from them, in the front of them the issue of Saada and the Southern Movement.

Houthis insisted on the armed option, disrupted the political process and the militarization of public life, although the guarantees document of the national dialogue recommend the disarming of armed militias, and this confused the results of the dialogue which ended lately in January 2014 and adopted by the final document of the dialogue which included representatives of all of the components of community including the group of Shiite Houthi in Saada in the northern of Yemen. The document of guarantees of dialogue also included the establishment a federal country consists of several regions and finding solutions for the grievances of the southerners, and the extension of the presidential period until the draft of the constitution is completed and the referendum upon it and the issuance of the legislation to ensure the transition to the new shape of the country and conducting elections. The armed conflicts in current September resulted in getting out 200 dead body and 500 injured people from neighborhoods that clashes happened in them in Sanaa,the capital, recently.

The Powers of the revolution that toppled the former president in Yemen since July 2014 are feeling that the country is in front of a counter revolution, that led them to the formation of what they called the national line-up, as they called for demonstrations in support for President Hadi and to maintain security and to renounce violence or the threat of it and speeding the implementation of the outputs of the dialogue.

- Houthis commited violations since 2011 when they targeted Dar al-Hadith, a salafis council, in the area of Demag, as they targeted the people who are in it by shelling, killing many of them, including children and at least one woman, and that repeated in 2013, when the Houthis besieged the area of Demag and bombed Dar Al-Hadith mentioned above for several weeks.

Despite the Yemeni government’s announcement of its willingness to investigate the clashes that took place on 9th September between Houthis protesters and security forces during the attempt to break into the headquarter of the prime minister in the capital Sanaa, that led to killing seven armed people from the Houthi group and a number of wounded, and its willingness to Account security persons who opened fire. In the same day, the armed Houthis burned seven military crews in the area of Haziz, south of the capital, and the fall of Houthi shells on camp 48 in the area was announced, as they occupied a number of installations, public and private buildings, in the same area in south of the capital Sanaa, and they executed both: Engineer Yahya Ahmed Mohammed Saeed al-Amri and the citizen Abdul Rahman Mustafa Al-Amari, because they refused to allow the Houthi militants to occupy their houses or settle in it.

Houthis worked on the failure of the negotiations despite the compromises between the parties to end the crisis, carried out by the Adviser of the General Secretary of the United Nations and his Special Envoy to Yemen, Jamal bin Omar.

The Houthis obstructed the return of humanitarian organizations to the province of Amran, which fell under their influence in July 2014, and they nationalized the mosques and they abducted some of residents and executed them.

The Houthis assaulted the patients and medical staff, as they stormed the Hospital of the University of Science and Technology on 21th September and the management of the hospital sent an urgent SOS to save the lives of 300 patients who are in the medical units, in addition to the hundreds inside the Intensive Care Units. This hospital is the second, which was bombed by Al-Houthi rebels, after the torching of Azal hospital. Armed Houthi also prevented the ambulance teams from getting out the dead bodies of soldiers killed in an armed ambush for the Houthis, a military campaign related to the army was on its way to end the armed conflict between Houthi fighters and tribal militants in the village of Al Kapbel in Hamedan area and the ambulances were prevented from taking the wounded soldiers as well.

29 Dhu al-Qi’dah 1435 24 September 2014 No. 13/2014 Geneva Statement on the Violations Committed by the Armed Houthis in Yemen 1/2

The Houthis also Broke into the houses of activists and political opponents On 16th September, the Houthi militants stormed the house of the former Media Minister, Ali Omrani, and they killed the guard of the house of Mohammed al-Faqih, and later, they stormed the house of a the parliamentary Deputy, Mohammed al-Hazmi who belongs to the Reform Party in Shamlan neighborhood. They also stormed the house of MP reformist Mansour al-Zindani, and broke into the house of the reformist leader Mohammed Qahtan. On 21th September the armed Houthis stormed the house of Tawakkol Karman, the Yemeni activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, before handing it the next day, and they also broke into the house of the reformist leader and businessman Hamid al-Ahmar, as well as the house of Major Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar. They raided a number of premises of the Reform Party, as well.

The armed Houthis stormed the University of Al Iman and they looted the contents of the classrooms and nearly 50 vehicles (buses) and looted the houses of the students and professors of the university, including the house of Sheikh Abdul Majid al-Zindani and the houses of his relatives, in the time that they had looted before the headquarters of the branch of Al-Iman University in the area of Huth in Amran province.

The armed Houthi group targeted a number of media, media professionals and journalists. They also bombed and raided the headquarters of the media with various types of weapons. On 16th September, the Houthi militants began to bomb the country television building, which theyhad dominated it on 20th September, after a siege and heavy shelling continued for three consecutive days, and the workers in the building exposed to injuries, accusing the Houthi group to detain them and prevented ambulances from taking the wounded.In the same time, channel «Yemen youth» expressed its deep concern with what had happened in the residential buildings for the media crew from heavy shelling by the elements of al-Huthi and the threat of the right to life and physical integrity for the broadcasters, the press crew and staff in the offices of the channels.

The Association considers the targeting of media organizations is a clear violation of the international law and a crime against freedom of press and freedom of expression.

The International Association of Rights and Freedoms condemns all violations committed by the Houthi group in Yemen and which are still against civilians and political opponents. It also expresses its doubts about the seriousness of intervention to end the crisis, and warns from the presence of local, regional and international agreement on the liquidation of Islamist activists from the Sunnis, and disgracing the UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar, to deal with the armed militia that threats the security and social peace for more than three million people live in the capital, Sanaa, and encourages them to violent behavior down for political purposes, the same thing is related to the UN envoy to leave the weapon of al-Houthi militia, since the moment of acceptance of their participation in the dialogue conference, despite their adherence to weapons, passing the control of Amran, despite the timid condemnation by the Security Council. The Association also recorded its surprise from the delay of the sanctions committee formed under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations without any punitive action against the Houthi group or any of its leaders or demanding accountability for the perpetrators.

The Association also expresses its deep concern with the news that spoke about the foreign interference to increase the internal political struggle, and to add sectarian dimension to it, through political support for the party at the expense of another party and to exercise a kind of selective way even in the enforcement of law duties when dealing with violent groups. While sending the American drone aircraft for any armed actions carried out by violence, Sunni groups under the cover of terrorism, it made itself as it doesn’t follow the movements of the Shiite militants which attack the country institutions and camps, seize them by force and engage in terrorism and repression against the population and political opponents.

Finally, the Association expresses its deep worries about any secret and security agreements between the Houthi group and other external parties, in light of the US-Iranian understandings.

The Association also demands the intervention of UN with credibility to put an end to the abuses committed in Yemen, and the activation of the requirements of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations and to take punitive measures against the Houthi group and its leaders to create the conditions of peace and security and the maintenance of social freedoms and human rights.

29 Dhu al-Qi’dah 1435 24 September 2014 No. 13/2014 Geneva Statement on the Violations Committed by the Armed Houthis in Yemen 2/2