Tomb robberies on the rise in Yemen

Aya Ezz

Houthis are coming under intense fire in Yemen for raiding tombs and looting their contents.

Ordinary Yemenis and human rights groups are condemning these acts and calling for an end to them, describing them as ‘shameful’.

The same parties also call for respecting the dead.

Tomb robberies in Sana’a and Taiz

Yemeni capital, Sana’a, which has been under the control of the Houthis since 2014, has witnessed several tomb raids, including in the Martyrs’ Cemetery which houses the remains of the former leaders of Yemen, who ruled the southern part of the country before its unification with the northern part in 1992.

Taiz, which witnesses violent clashes between the Forces of Legitimacy and the Houthi group, also witnessed the theft of a cemetery that contains the remains of former leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman.

The front waged war against the sultan of Oman in the 1970s.

International enquiry

International human rights organizations have called for opening of an international enquiry into these crimes and holding those responsible accountable, describing the practices of the Houthi group as part of a systematic campaign to eradicate the history and cultural identity of the Yemeni people.

The International Red Cross also expressed concern about the attack on cemeteries. It said international humanitarian law prohibits encroachment on the dead, regardless of the cause of their death.

In the same context, the Council of Scholars in the Republic of Yemen issued a statement, in which it condemned the same practices.

The council described them as ‘disgraceful’ and demanded that the contents of the cemeteries and tombs be moved to safe places.

The council also called for the referral of these crimes to the International Criminal Court.

Meanwhile, the Council of Junior Zaidi Scholars lambasted the abuse of the dead.

It underscored the need for respecting the rights of the dead as a human right.

For his part, Yemeni political activist Moez al-Saadi said theft, vandalism, the removal of cemeteries or the transfer of bodies without the consent of their families is a violation of humanitarian law.

“The competent authorities are responsible for protecting the cemeteries from any violation,” al-Saadi told The Reference.

“Therefore, it is necessary to deter these violations,” he added.