A/HRC/42/CRP.1
partially destroyed by an airstrike on 9 May 2015 and bears a particular significance to
Yemen’s Zaidi faith.1378
848. The ancient citadel of Baraqish,1379 an archaeological protected site in al-Jawf
governorate, was destroyed during the first year of the conflict. While the Group of Experts
was not able to assign responsibility, witnesses who visited the site attributed the damage to
the citadel as being a result of shelling during 2015. This damage was also captured by
UNITAR–UNOSAT. An image dated 29 October 2015, contrasted against an image dated
13 November 2013, shows the Temple in the citadel destroyed and several craters in the
immediate vicinity of the old citadel.1380
849. During the confrontations in Aden in 2015, the al-Husseini Shia Mosque in the
Craiter area under the control of Houthis-Saleh forces, was partially destroyed during a
coalition airstrike on 16 July 2015. The al-Husseini Mosque was Aden’s renowned Shia
mosque, built at the end of the 19th century. The mosque held a particular religious,
historical, and cultural importance for Aden’s Shia minority. According to the information
received by the Group, the Mosque was closed throughout the war and it was not used for
military purposes. Once the Southern Resistance took over the area, they renamed it the
Mosque of the Sunni Martyrs.
850. The al-Fazah Sufi Mosque in al-Hudaydah was destroyed in June 2018 while the
area was under the control of the United Arab Emirates-backed Giants Brigades. The Group
of Experts found reasonable grounds to believe that elements of the Giants Brigades were
responsible for the intentional destruction of this seventh century historical religious site,
for which no military reason was apparent. (For additional information see Chapter on the
Battle of al-Hudaydah)
851. Parties to the conflict in Yemen regularly used civilian objects for military activities,
including those with special protection such as religious and cultural sites. In a number of
cases, this had the effect of removing the protection to which these objects were entitled,
blurring the distinction between civilian objects and military objectives, and often resulting
in damage or destruction of those objects, further compromising the historical and cultural
heritage of Yemen. The Group is not aware that any advance warning was given prior to
those sites being attacked.1381
852. At the beginning of the war, the National Museum of Ta’izz, while under
occupation by the Houthis, was shelled by the Resistance forces, which took it over in
August 2015. On 4 February 2016 the Houthis shelled the museum causing extensive
damage.
853. Similarly, in Aden, Houthi-Saleh fighters took control over the Military Museum,
which dates back to 1918, establishing therein a military warehouse and a secret detention
facility. 1382 In addition to the looting of the museum by the Houthis, 1383 a coalition airstrike
struck the museum on 16 July 2015, destroying the northeast wing of the museum. 1384
2.
Violations
1378
The Group of Experts recorded more than 3,124 distinct impact locations between May and June
2015 alone in its first report (see A/HRC/39/43).
1379 Confidential Sources on File.
1380 Confidential Sources on File; see also https://theintercept.com/2015/11/16/u-s-and-saudi-bombstarget-yemens-ancient-heritage/.
1381 The Second Protocol, article 6(d) requires that in case of attack, an effective advance warning
shall be given whenever circumstances permit. This duty did not exist under the 1954 Convention.
The protection of cultural property in some respects approximates the protection of the civilian
population as such and goes beyond the protection of other civilian objects.
1382 Confidential Sources on File; see also Mwatana for Human Rights, The Degradation of History,
Violations Committed by the Warring Parties against Yemen’s Cultural Property, November 2018.
See also https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/opinion/yemeni-heritage-saudi-vandalism.html.
1383 Confidential Sources on File; see also Mwatana for Human Rights, The Degradation of History,
Violations Committed by the Warring Parties against Yemen’s Cultural Property, November 2018.
1384 UNITAR-UNOSAT satellite imagery-based assessment for numerous incidents in Aden, Yemen,
between 14 and 16 July 2015 on file.
204
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents