Al-Houthi accuses Saudi-led coalition of looting Yemen’s antiquities in “Marib and southern provinces”
SANAA, Oct. 27 (YPA) – Member Supreme Political Council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi has opened the file on Yemen’s antiquities, historical monuments and museums.
He accused the Saudi-led coalition, the UAE and its militants of carrying out “systematic destruction” of Yemen’s history, sites and monuments and systematic looting of Yemen’s antiquities.
He further Revealed the looting of antiquities of the Marib Museum and other southern provinces of Yemen.
Mohammed Ali al- Houthi said in a Tweet: “Mercenaries are antiquities criminals.” Where did the antiquities of Marib Museum go?.”It is a crime added to the crime of looting the Taiz Museum and burning what’s was left of it.”
المرتزقة مجرمو الآثار.
أين ذهبت آثار متحف #مارب ؟
إنها جريمة تضاف إلى جريمة نهبهم لمتحف تعز وإحراق ما تبقى منه؟وأين آثار بقية المتاحف في المحافظات المحتلة؟
إن المرتزقة يجرمون تاريخيا واجتماعيا وسياسيا وعسكريا وأمنيا وثقافيا واقتصاديا
وبحق كل شيئ في اليمن..
تدمير ممنهج
تبا لهم— محمد علي الحوثي (@Moh_Alhouthi) October 26, 2019
According to the Ministry of Culture and the General Authority for Antiquities and Museums, the war has severely affected Yemen’s antiquities and manuscripts sector. “Over 237 archaeological sites, a historical landmark and a museum have been directly bombed by coalition warplanes and artillery till 26, 2019.”
“Where are the monuments of the rest of the museums in the occupied governorates?” al-Houthi asked a broader question. Most archaeological museums in coalition-controlled areas have been looted and smuggled.
“Mercenaries are committing crimes historically, socially, politically, militarily, security, culturally, economically and rightly everything in Yemen,” Mohammed al-Houthi said, adding this is a systematic destruction.
The Saudi-led coalition has not excluded Yemeni archaeological and historical monuments protected by international law, as a World Human Heritage List. The coalition launched successive direct air strikes on the historic cities of Sanaa and Zubeid, destroying a number of their archaeological houses, and bombing the Marib Archaeological Dam.
The attack on the physical and intangible cultural heritage of peoples during wars is classified as a war crime in international criminal law. UNESCO has previously called on the coalition to neutralize Yemen’s humanitarian legacy from conflict and targeting.
E.M