SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties condemned Today, Tuesday, August 18, 2020, shooting of Ruwaida Saleh bin Saleh Al-Qahri, 10, on Saba roundabout in Taiz city, as she was fetching water for her family, by a sniper stationed in front of the Al-Juhaim station in Tabat Al-Dhahab near the central security headquarters controlled by Houthis militia.

 

SAM said that sniping Ruwaida constitutes a deliberate crime of execution of children in all Yemen, and reveals extent of cruelty faced by children in Yemen in wartime. According to UNICEF statistics, more than 6,700 Yemeni children were killed and injured since the outbreak of the war until February. 2019, hundreds of them were killed due to sniping, especially in the governorates of Taiz, Al-Baidha and Hodiedah.

SAM called on the United Nations, especially the Secretary-General, to work diligently to provide protection for children in conflict zones, and not to be satisfied with the list of shame, which is nothing more than an ineffective tool for political and media manipulation.

 

SAM said that six years after the start of the war in Yemen, civilians, especially children, are still victims of all forms of crimes and intentional violations, such as sniping, mines, and bombing of population centers. Houthis militia was the most responsible for these violations. It requires urgent action by the United Nations bodies to stop these violations, protect civilians, and take practical steps towards applying accountability and punishment.

 

SAM called on the United Nations Secretary-General to refer violations targeting children and civilians in general in Yemen to the International Criminal Court, or work to establish a special tribunal for Yemen to adjudicate crimes and violations and begin prosecuting the perpetrators.