Subject: Crimes committed by the Houthi militia in Yemen
Since 2004, crimes and human rights violations committed by the Houthi militia against civilians have been a daily occurrence in Yemen. Kidnappings, torture of prisoners, bombings of houses and the displacement of thousands of families are only some of the severe war crimes and human rights violations of which the Houthi militia is responsible. The Houthis have planted mines randomly, without differentiating between military or civilian sites. Mine explosions have occurred near homes, schools, mosques, markets, water sources and other places. There have been 580 victims so far, including children and women, and 457 injured.
Crimes committed against women are particularly grave, amounting to murder, maiming, detention, kidnapping and sexual violence. Supervisors in militia prisons repeatedly rape women detainees. Minors have also been victims of crimes. In fact, since 2014, the Houthi in Yemen have forcibly recruited 10 300 children, opening 52 training camps for thousands of adolescents, and have incited violence and promoted the group’s ideology through special lectures to fill students with extremist ideals and involve them in the group’s military actions.
Will the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy establish a new investigative mechanism to document Houthi crimes against women and preserve evidence of these serious human rights violations and war crimes occurring in Yemen?
Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Borrell on behalf of the European Commission (14 February 2022)
Violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have been taking place on a horrific scale in Yemen. Vulnerable groups such as women and children are particularly exposed. These violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have been perpetrated throughout the conflict and cannot continue with impunity.
A number of entities, including the former Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) established by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2017, have documented violations by all parties to the conflict.
The EU was disappointed by the termination of the mandate of the GEE, by the HRC in October 2021. The EEAS is consulting with EU Member States to find the most appropriate way to create a mechanism in charge of gathering information, publicly reporting patterns of violations and abuses, and providing timely recommendations to the international community concerning the situation.
Through its development cooperation with Yemen, the EU supports the protection and empowerment of human rights defenders, children's rights in the armed conflict, monitoring of human rights violations, legal assistance for victims and inter-community dialogue.
The EU will continue to support efforts towards accountability at local, national and international levels related to the human rights situation in Yemen.