Saudi-led coalition attacks Yemen fishermen: HRW

SANAA

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Saudi-led coalition of deliberately attacking Yemeni fishing boats, killing 47 fishermen since 2018.

The New York-based rights group said coalition warships and helicopters have been involved in attacks that killed 47 fishermen, including seven children, and the detention of more than 100 others.

"Coalition naval forces repeatedly attacked Yemeni fishing boats and Yemeni fishermen without any apparent determination that they were valid military targets," Priyanka Motaparthy, HRW's acting emergencies director, said in a statement on Wednesday.

HRW said coalition officials who ordered or carried out the attacks or tortured detainees are most likely responsible for war crimes.

"Gunning down fishermen waving white cloths or leaving shipwrecked crew members to drown are war crimes," Motaparthy said.

HRW said the Saudi-led coalition has consistently failed to investigate alleged war crimes and other unlawful attacks, including the attacks on fishing boats.

Although there was no comment from the Saudi-led coalition on the accusations, the bloc repeatedly said in previous occasions that it takes measures to prevent casualties among civilians.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies have launched a massive air campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebel group, which overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, a year earlier.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara