tahrer
Mwatana Organization for Human Rights condemned the suicide attack targeting a group of people in a sit-in called for by Ansar Allah (Houthis) Thursday morning, October 9th, 2014 in Al-Tahrir Square, Sana’a, and killing at least 51 people, including 12 children, and injuring 86 others according to medical sources. MOHR described the attack as a heinous crime and a blatant violation of the rights to life, assembly, and freedom of expression.
Mwatana Organization for Human Rights stated that the government and its security authorities bear responsibility to investigate the incident, bring those plotting the attack to justice, and to restore the security situation to normalcy. Mwatana Organization for Human Rights has called upon the security authorities to protect all citizens as they are the only authorities authorized to law enforcement.
Ansar al-Sharia’s group made a statement on Twitter Friday, October 10th, claiming responsibility for this “martyrdom operation”. Mwatana Organization for Human Rights indicated that the Caretaker Government, the Transitional Administration, and other relevant parties should assume their responsibilities and enable security and judiciary authorities to perform the duties and responsibilities vested in them under the rule of law and the Constitution.
Mwatana Organization for Human Rights also denounced the indifferent attitude and evasion of duties by government agencies to protect the assembly called for by Ansar Allah. Mwatana Organization for Human Rights has called on all parties and groups to stop targeting civilians and abide by international law and treaties that criminalize targeting civilians, oblige warring parties to spare civilians of any damage, and take precautions and measures necessary to ensure that.
MOHR also said that such attacks would drag the country into a new cycle of violence in which the civilians would be the scapegoat. It also called on Ansar Allah to stop recruiting children under 18 years old and jeopardizing their lives. It emphasized that the right places for children would be schools, playgrounds, not battlefields and security checkpoints.
Photo: Al-Tahrir Square at the center of Sana’a, after the incident - taken by Shuhdi Al-Soufi
