A Houthi official murdered his 13-year-old daughter on Tuesday last week, throwing her down a well following a dispute with his ex-wife, Yemeni and Arab media reported this week.
Yemen Shabab TV reported that there were fears of a cover-up, as the Houthi official reportedly attempted to involve himself in investigations.
He was named by the TV station as Abdul Salam Abdo Hatem Al-Hasani, and his victim as Zara.
Houthi official threw his daughter down a well
The murder was reportedly carried out in the Al Jabin District of the Raymah Governorate in Yemen. It is currently understood that Hasani threw Zara down the 30-meter well in reaction to his ex-wife obtaining a court order for divorce, according to the Khabar news agency.
Yemen Shabab TV reported that courts rushed the divorce proceedings, fearing that Houthis could disrupt the legal process, as the woman complained of extreme domestic abuse.
The young girl and her father had reportedly fought in the hours before he killed her, after she expressed a desire to visit her mother.
Al-Hadath Yemen reported that the father had forcibly separated the young girl from her mother, which resulted in a rapid deterioration of the father-daughter relationship.
The father initially denied responsibility for the girl’s death, claiming that local villagers threw her into the well – despite the property being secured.
Yemeni commentators noted that the incident followed the suicide of a young woman in the Hajjah governorate, who jumped to her death after a court ordered her to return to her husband’s home.