العربية
Al Raqas Neighbourhood Massacre
Military operations launched in March 2015 against Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition are still ongoing. As such, attacks targeting groups protected under international humanitarian law are continuing and resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians. That’s according to data collected by numerous international and local organizations that are monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen.
In recent years, all groups protected under international humanitarian law were vulnerable to attacks by the coalition. Journalists and media institutions were one of the groups most affected by these attacks. Numerous violations and abuses were committed against them, most of which amount to the most serious breaches of international law, requiring that the perpetrators be held accountable.
The targeting of the house of Abdullah Sabry, President of the Yemeni Media Union in mid-May 2019, was one of the most brutal crimes. The attack left behind nearly 70 civilian casualties, including Sabry himself who was seriously injured and lost two of his children as well as his mother.
At the time of writing the report, data collected about the victims of attacks targeting the media sector, including individuals and institutions, shows that a total of 43 incidents were recorded, resulting in the deaths of 290 journalists and the wounding of 22 others.
In addition, 23 facilities and media institutions as well as 30 radio and television broadcast centers were bombed and destroyed.
Despite all these crimes and violations being openly and continuously committed by Saudi Arabia and its coalition, the United Nations and its agencies remain reluctant to take any action that could stop them and move towards holding the perpetrators of these crimes accountable. This should start with the formation of an independent international committee to investigate all crimes and violations, including those committed against the media sector and the individuals working within that sector.
To read the full report press here