Taiz is in the heart of the chaos ... a human rights center documented 131 violations during August, including murders
English - Sunday 13 September 2020 الساعة 03:53 pm
Taiz, NewsYemen:
The Human Rights Center documented 131 incidents of human rights violations against civilians in Taiz Governorate during the month of August 2020, committed by the Houthi militia and the Islah Party forces, the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
A report issued by the Human Rights Information and Rehabilitation Center entitled "Taiz in the Cycle of Chaos and Disorder" indicated an unprecedented increase in the security chaos in Taiz during the month of August, as many areas of Taiz entered the circle of chaos.
The center said, in a press release today, Saturday, that its field team was able to document the killing of 23 civilians, including a woman and 5 children. The Houthi militia caused the killing of 9 civilians, including two children, two of them civilians were killed by artillery shells, civilians were killed, including a child by sniper fire, and the Houthis executed another civilian, as well, two civilians were killed by torture, one civilian was assassinated, and a child was killed by direct bullets.
Militants outside the state killed 4 civilians, including a child, with direct bullets, while other civilians were killed by an explosive device.
According to the report, multiple factions affiliated with the pro-Islah army killed 3 civilians during the clashes between them, and a woman was killed by artillery fire, two civilians were killed by direct bullets of those factions, and two children were killed by the explosion of a grenade planted by unidentified persons.
The center's field team monitored the injury of 60 civilians, including 3 women and 7 children, the Houthi militia injured 9 of them, including a woman and 4 children, 5 of them, including a woman and two children, were wounded by sniper fire, while 4 civilians, including 2 children, were wounded by anti-aircraft fire.
Armed men outside the country wounded 16 civilians, including a woman, with direct bullets. In addition, 8 civilians were wounded by an explosive device, and unidentified gunmen injured 6 civilians with direct bullets and 5 others, when an explosive device exploded.
In addition, 3 civilians were wounded by bullets from members of various factions in the government army, while the ongoing clashes among them caused the injury of 13 civilians, including a woman and 3 children.
The field team of the Human Rights Information and Rehabilitation Center documented one case of kidnapping committed by gunmen affiliated with multiple factions in the government army, as well as three cases of abuse, each of which was committed by Houthi gunmen, members of the government army, and armed men outside the state.
He recorded two cases of rape of children committed by gunmen affiliated with the Houthi militia, which were revealed by activists and the Siyaj organization.
He also monitored 42 cases of violation of public and private property, including 5 cases of public property, where the Public Health Office was stormed, its employees expelled and closed, the training and rehabilitation institute stormed and its contents looted and an ambulance and two military crews were looted by individuals affiliated with multiple factions in the government army.
The center documented 37 cases of violation of private property, as 5 homes, 7 vehicles and 6 water tanks were partially damaged as a result of a hail of bullets.
4 soldiers were killed, armed men outside the state caused the killing of 3 of them, and another was killed by a member of the government army and the wounding of 14 others. Unidentified armed men targeted 4 of them.
Members of the government army targeted two others and wounded 8 others in clashes with militants outside the state.
He recorded two cases of an assassination attempt, as Muhammad Khaled Hamid Aqlan, 20 years old, a soldier in the Military Police, survived an assassination attempt by militants outside the state.
The report emphasized that what causes more concern in Taiz is the reinforcement of the confusion between the actions of the official security forces and the army on the one hand, and the human rights violations carried out by armed groups that have reached the point of killing and committing crimes that can be classified as crimes against humanity.
He touched upon the continuing absence of accountability and any presence of the local authority and all the legitimate government strengths from concerned ministries such as the Interior, Defense and Justice, and the reins of affairs have become in open chaos.
Although the political and military leaders in Taiz Governorate - the report says - disclaims responsibility for the murders, as happened with Aseel Al-Jabzi, Muhammad Mahdi, and the child, whichever is them, all indications indicate clear coverage by the official authorities and a lack of real action to stop these crimes or take full seriousness in achieving accountability after the occurrence of these crimes, as the absence of accountability remains the most prominent gateway to the continuation of chaos.
