Woman Journalists Without Chain issued its report on human rights violations that have impacted Yemenis and resulted from heavy weaponry shelling, airstrikes direct shootings and landmines. Violations included abduction, enforced disappearance, killings and many others.

WJWC stated that their monitors have documented 1340 violations due to heavy weapons shelling and airstrikes, snipers and direct shootings, landmines, torture, during the first year of the war. Majority of violations were reported in Taiz with 25 percent of killings in the city, and 50 percent of wounded, followed by Aden city with 15 percent of number of killings.

In its report “Nothing is Safe” that covers the period March 2015 – March 2016, WJWC documented 2848 killings, including 319 women and 686 children, and total number of wounded of 8458, including 818 women and 2149 children.

Responsibility of killings among civilians during the reporting period is distributed as follows;

-        Houthis – Saleh militia; 50 percent, with total number of 1424 killings, including 308 children and 109 women;

-        Arab Coalition 43 percent, with total number 1230 killings, including 313 children and 169 women;

-        7% of total number of killings is the joint responsibility of Houthis – Saleh militia and Arab Coalition; with total number of 194 people, including 65 children and 41 women;

According to the report responsibility for injuries among civilians during the reporting period is distributed as follows;

-           Houthis – Saleh militia; 72 percent, with total number of 6090 wounded, including 1763 children and 583 women;

-           Arab Coalition 13 percent, with total number of 1122 wounded, including 237 children and 130 women;

-           15% of total number of wounded is the joint responsibility of Houthis – Saleh militia and Arab Coalition; with total number of 1246 people, including 149 children and 105 women;  

FJWC has called upon all parties in Yemen to respect international humanitarian law and to safe civilians, particularly women and children, from the devastating consequences of war.  

On the other hand, Bushra Al-Sarabi, executing director of WJWC, called upon all concerned parties, particularly the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Human Rights Violations to conduct serious, transparent and comprehensive investigations to all violations included in this report, in accordance with relevant Human Rights Council’s resolutions to conduct such investigations in Yemen.  

Al-Misbahi, report team leader, noted that such work is to bring before public opinion and all others concerned with human rights such gross violations that Yemeni civilians had faced and are facing, calling them to protect and solidarize with Yemeni people. “the report is considered as a rights and historical reference tool for all concerned and human rights activists to understand and stand against the volume of violations that Yemeni civilians have faced”. He added.

The report also documented violations on press, journalists and all public, independent, and opposition audio-visual, electronic and print media outlets, during January 2015 – June 2016, that have been closed, blocked and confiscated by Houthis – Saleh militia, in addition to violations to foreign media correspondents.

During January 2015 – June 2016, FJWC documented various violations included killings, attempted killing, extralegal detention, enforced disappearance, attack and closure of media outlets, physical assaults, illegal prosecution, provocation and slander, shelling and bombing, banning and confiscation of newspapers, blocking of electronic media and intimidation.  

Zakaria Al-Husami, Head of Rights and Freedoms Unit in WJWJ, noted that freedom of press was totally undermined in Yemen, and such violations breach all conventions and treaties related to civil and political rights and are considered serious crimes locally and internationally penalized”.   He called for immediate investigations on these violations, urging all rights organizations and concerned parties to end arbitrary measures against journalists.

The report also documented 4836 cases of abduction and enforced disappearance, with majority of cases from Hodeida with 632 abductees and forcibly disappeared, with 13 percent, followed by Hajjah with 583 cases; 12%, Sana’a with 450 cases; 9%, Sana’a “the capital” 424 cases; 8%, and other numbers distributed among other governorates.