UNIPATH STAFF
Yemen’s legitimate government protested the illegal execution of nine people, including a 17-year-old, that the Houthis blamed for killing one of their leaders.
The nine had been held in arbitrary detention and were subjected to torture and other abuse after they were accused of involvement in the 2018 death of Saleh al-Samad.
Warning that the Houthi militia will carry out more mass killings against innocent civilians, Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani dismissed the extrajudicial executions as premeditated murder on fabricated charges.
Al-Samad was killed along with six others in an airstrike conducted by the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen. He was the group’s most prominent political official as
chairman of the Houthi’s Supreme Political Council.
Regional social media platforms published the names and photos of the executed Yemenis as: Ali Al-Quzi, Abdul-Malik Hamid, Muhammad Haig, Muhammad Al-Quzi, Muhammad Noh, Ibrahim Aqel, Muhammad Al-Mashkhari, Abdul-Aziz Al-Aswad and Moaz Abbas, all of whom were from the Al Qanawis district in Al Hodeida governorate.
Human rights organizations such as the Yemeni Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations, SAM for Rights and Liberties, the Human Rights Radar, the Abductees’ Mothers Association, and the National Association for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms jointly issued a statement strongly condemning the executions carried out by the Houthis.
An 8-year-long conflict has ravaged Yemen, inflicted immense suffering on its people and displaced over 4 million Yemenis from their homes. Since the start of the civil war in September 2014, over 233,000 people have died, including 102,000 as a direct result of hostilities and 131,000 from indirect causes such as famine and poor health care.
Serious violations of international humanitarian law and egregious human rights abuses by Houthi militia have contributed to the world’s worst human-made humanitarian crisis. Moreover, Houthi obstruction of humanitarian assistance has exacerbated the spread of diseases, including a cholera epidemic and COVID-19.
Sources: CNN, Alhurra, Al Jazeera