Rights groups accuse Saudi of war crimes

TORONTO, Canada (Kurdistan24) – The international human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused the Saudi-led coalition of war crimes after recent violence in Yemen.

The accusation followed a recent bombing at a funeral home in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa where over 140 people were killed, and 600 injured.

HRW indicated in its report that a considerable number of the victims were innocent civilians.

On Saturday, Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombarded a funeral gathering with two air strikes killing hundreds.

Saudi claimed the mourning hall was holding ceremonies for the father of the interior minister in the rebel government of Sanaa.

Moreover, other military and security officials in the rebel group were thought to have attended the proceedings.

Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East director for HRW, stated an international investigation was required for the recent “atrocity.”

Several other human rights groups have documented incidents where the coalition has bombed markets, schools, weddings, and hospitals.

HRW has called on both the United States and the United Kingdom to discontinue arms supply and sales to Saudi Arabia amid the ongoing conflict.

Remains of the air strike revealed that the weapons were American-made. Both countries have sold Saudi Arabia billions of dollars of weapons.

In 2015, Shia rebels, known as Houthis, besieged the Yemeni capital forcing out the internationally recognized government.

The Saudi-led administration began its assault on the rebel group in March 2016, accusing them of being proxies for Iran’s Shia-led government.

The air and ground violence have left over 4,000 civilians dead and nearly 7,000 wounded.

Editing by Ava Homa