UN chief condemns rebel execution of 9 Yemenis

ANKARA

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the execution of nine Yemeni civilians by the Houthi rebel group in Sanaa.

"The Secretary-General deeply regrets that the Houthi movement yesterday carried out executions of nine individuals, one of whom was reportedly a minor at time of detention," Guterres said in a statement through his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

He said such executions “do not appear to have met the requirements of fair trial and due process under international law.”

On Saturday, Houthi rebels executed nine Yemenis accused by the Iranian-backed group of being involved in the killing of its former leader Saleh al-Samad in April 2020 by a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Yemen.

Meanwhile, Guterres voiced concern over "a reported airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in Shabwa (southeast Yemen) that allegedly killed at least six civilians from the same family."

The UN chief also reiterated that "directing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure is prohibited by international humanitarian law."

Yemen has been ravaged by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 30 million people accounting for 80% of the population needing humanitarian assistance and protection.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara