More than 100 Yemeni, American, and European organizations have called, in a joint statement, on the President of the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the European Union to impose sanctions on the Iran-backed Houthi militias to ensure their leaders do not escape punishment for the systematic crimes they commit against civilians. The statement highlighted the Houthis' policy of impoverishment and starvation, manifested in the theft of employees' salaries, the theft of humanitarian aid, and its sale on the black market, in addition to blocking humanitarian assistance from reaching those who need it, as documented by reports from international organizations.
The Houthis have reportedly turned Sanaa International Airport into a military base for bombing civilian facilities and receiving Iranian weapons in violation of Resolution 2216. They have also utilized ports like Hodeidah to launch boats and naval mines to threaten international shipping, contrary to the agreements made in Stockholm, which has enabled the group to commit further crimes and violations, according to the statement.
The document revealed that the Houthi militias have forcibly conscripted over 30,000 children since the coup in late 2014, using schools and educational facilities as training camps for minors. They employ an educational system that incites violence based on their ideology rooted in extremism, in addition to issuing death sentences, having recently executed nine civilians, including a minor, while women and minors remain sentenced to death.
The statement pointed to the crimes and violations the Houthi militias commit against women, which have escalated to murder, physical assault, kidnapping, and sexual violence. According to the statement, the number of women detained in Houthi-controlled prisons exceeds 1,800, including civil society activists.
It added that the Houthi militias intentionally expand the gap of humanitarian suffering and threaten the safety and security of civilians and displaced persons, including women, children, and the elderly, continuing to plant mines and using displaced persons as human shields. The joint statement from the rights organizations called on the European Parliament to swiftly implement mechanisms to hold the Houthi militias accountable and classify them as a terrorist group.
