UN official condemns shelling of prison in Yemen

ANKARA

The UN has condemned the Sunday’s attack on a prison in Yemen which left at least six people dead and 11 others injured.

“I strongly condemn the shelling on Sunday of the Central Prison in Taiz, resulting in the deaths of five women and a child, and leaving at least 11 other people injured,” said Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights.

Bachelet said, there was no military presence in the area and no armed clashes.

“Such an attack cannot be justified in any circumstances. This attack appears to be in breach of international humanitarian law, and depending on the circumstances could amount to a war crime,” she said.

The Houthi rebels claimed they did not attack the prison.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital of Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.