NCIAVHR Inspects Recent Shelling Sites and Listens to Victims in Taiz

Taiz,

Friday, October 6, 2023

The National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations of Human Rights (NCIAVHR) conducted a field visit today to the residential neighborhoods in the districts of Al-Qahira and As-Sala in the city of Taiz. These neighborhoods have been subjected to shelling incidents with various weapons during the past days of September and October, resulting in injuries to a number of civilians, damage to homes, and causing fear and panic among residents, preventing their mobility.

The field team, led by Commission member Judge Ishraq Al-Muqtari, assessed the extent of destruction and direct damage to buildings, roofs, and windows. They also directly documented remnants of projectiles and listened to the residents of Al-Kamp, Ad-Dawah, Al-Kulliya Al-Tibbiya, Ash-Shamasi, and Az-Zahraa neighborhoods, recording their testimonies regarding the recent shelling, the timing, and causes, despite the cessation of military operations.

The team also inspected the distances separating residential neighborhoods from security and military checkpoints and assessed their impact on the safety and security of citizens, especially since most of them belong to vulnerable and poor categories who were unable to leave their homes and move to other areas due to economic conditions.

Afterwards, the Commission team met with the wounded who fell as a result of these events and are receiving treatment at Al-Thawra, As-Safwa hospitals, listening to their testimonies and examining and receiving the lists of victims and accompanying medical reports.

The Commission, while continuing its field investigation into the prohibited targeting of civilians under international humanitarian law, renews its call to all parties to protect civilians and cease targeting residential areas. It also condemns the direct escalation that has harmed their security, housing, mobility, and hindered their children’s access to schools.