SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties condemned today 26 September the targeting of Houthis militia, on Friday, September 25, 2020, of Al-Mithaq School in Marib city, which was a gathering point for children and school students to launch the carnival to commemorate the anniversary of the September Revolution, which it celebrates the city observed each year, which caused great panic among residents and children in particular, and led to damage to some neighboring buildings.
The Organization said that the timing of the deliberate attack, to inflict civilian casualties, indicates that the Houthis militia intends to cause serious and direct harm to civilians in violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and is a serious violation of international humanitarian law regarding direct attacks against civilians, and the principle of taking precautions during attack.
The organization indicated that according to official government statistics in the city of Marib, the Houthis group launched 244 missiles, included 112 ballistic missiles and 131 Katyusha rockets, and one Urja missile, killing 251 civilians, including 25 children and 12 women, while the number of wounded reached 438 civilians, including 47 children, 8 women and elderly, were caused by the Houthi missiles that hit the city from early April 2015 until July 14, 2020.
Omar Al-Himyari, head of the organization’s legal committee, said, “The terrifying statistics that human rights organizations have documented of the bombing of a small town such as Marib by the Houthis militia, with uncontrolled weapons and against targets far from armed confrontations, confirms that the Houthis militia is not concerned with the security and lives of civilians, and therefore they must Immediately stop, and the international community must assume its moral and legal responsibility. "
The organization said that the new bombing confirms the importance of the international community's intervention to stop the war on the outskirts of Marib, as its continuation with this intensity will inevitably lead to serious violations of human rights, especially among civilians.
The organization said that Houthis fighters are responsible for grave violations of international humanitarian law in launching indiscriminate attacks that lead to the death and injury of civilians, as the principle of distinction prohibits indiscriminate attacks, that is, attacks that strike military targets as well as civilians or civilian targets without distinction. Indiscriminate attacks are, for example, the use of a method or means of combat during an attack that cannot be directed towards a specific military target. In accordance with the principle of precautionary measures during an attack, parties to a conflict conducting military operations must take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects. All feasible precautions must be taken to avoid or minimize incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, and damage to civilian objects.