29 October 2015

Yemen: 16-year-old Killed and 10 Members of Same Family Injured by Saudi-led Coalition Airstrike

Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Sana’a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Sana’a Yahya Arhab/EPA

On 27 October 2015, Alkarama sent a communication to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (SR SUMX) on behalf of the Al Salwi family, whose house was hit in September 2015 by a Saudi-led Coalition airstrike, which killed one family member, a teenage girl, and injured 10 others.

On 9 September 2015, at 5:45pm, an airstrike conducted by the Saudi-led Coalition hit the Al Salwi's house in the Haddah neighbourhood of the capital city of Sana'a, killing 16-year-old student Amal Abdulrazak Abdullah Mohamed Al Salwi and injuring 10 other family members. The attack, which allegedly targeted the neighbouring house of Houthi-Saleh coalition affiliate Mohamed Al Dura, was part of a series of airstrikes conducted that day in the Haddah neighbourhood, targeting sites controlled by the Houthi-Saleh Coalition.

By targeting civilian areas, the Saudi-led Coalition disrespected international humanitarian law – the law applicable to armed conflicts − which prohibits attacks against civilian targets. According to official sources, the unlawful attack injured all together at least 22 people including the Al Salwi family, most of them women and children.

"The Saudi-led coalition strikes are causing a considerable number of civilian casualties in Yemen and those who survive are severely wounded and do not even have proper access to medical help," said Radidja Nemar, Regional Legal Officer for the Gulf at Alkarama. "Yemeni civilians are put in a dire situation caused by a constant disregard for fundamental rules of humanitarian law such as the prohibition of targeting civilian and residential areas".

In view of these facts, Alkarama seized the SR SUMX, requesting him to call upon the Saudi authorities to reconsider their policy on airstrikes, especially by prohibiting attacks in civilian areas, as well as to open an investigation into the attacks committed on September 9 and to provide compensation to the Al Salwi family.

For more information or an interview, please contact the media team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.(Dir: +41 22 734 1008).

Yemen - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Accessed on 09.02.1987
Optional Protocol: No

State report: Due on 30.03.2015 (6th)
Last concluding observations: 23.04.2012

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 05.11.1991
Optional Protocol: No
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): Yes
Art. 22 (Individual communications): No

State report: Overdue since 14.05.2014 (3rd)
Last concluding observations: 17.12.2009

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

No

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: 01.2014 (2nd cycle)
Next review: -

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

No