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Updated December 3rd, 2021 at 21:47 IST

UN: 60 Organizations urge General assembly to probe Yemen atrocities

On Thursday, more than 60 organisations requested UNGA to establish investigative commission to gather and preserve evidence of serious human rights violations.

Reported by: Aparna Shandilya
UN
Image: AP | Image:self
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On Thursday, more than 60 organisations requested the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to establish an investigative commission to gather and preserve evidence of serious human rights violations, including suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed during the seven-year Yemen conflict, AP reported. Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels backed by Iran gained control of the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country's northern region. As a result, the internationally recognised administration was compelled to escape to the south, eventually settling in Saudi Arabia.

The issue is critical, according to the organisations, which include Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, especially after the UN Human Rights Council voted in October to close its inquiry into atrocities in Yemen. All parties may have committed potential war crimes, according to the Group of Eminent Experts. Western nations suffered a humiliating defeat in the Geneva-based council's vote, while Russia, China, Bahrain, and other countries triumphed. The Human Rights Council vote in October, according to the more than 60 organisations, was the product of an extensive lobbying campaign by Saudi Arabia, which was backed by the United Arab Emirates, a crucial coalition partner, and other allies.

“The international community cannot stand by and allow that vote to be the last word on accountability efforts for abuses and war crimes in Yemen,” the organisations said.

UNGA might save millions of lives by acting: Callamard

Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General told a virtual press conference that every day, more people are hurt or getting killed, and General Assembly "might save millions of lives" by acting. The rights groups and other organisations said in a joint statement to the General Assembly's 193 member nations that the suffering inflicted on Yemeni civilians necessitates the creation of an investigative body to address impunity in the ongoing conflict and send a clear warning to perpetrators on all sides that they will be held accountable for war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

According to the statement, UN members should authorise an investigative mechanism to show the Yemeni people that the UN will not ignore their suffering and that they support international accountability for crimes and atrocities done in Yemen. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth said the groups will travel to capitals to explain that, in light of Saudi arm-twisting that killed the UN Human Rights Council investigation, the integrity of the UN human rights machinery, as well as the lives of many Yemeni people, are at stake. Similar actions by the General Assembly and the Security Council have been taken in the past in response to widespread human rights violations.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP

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Published December 3rd, 2021 at 21:47 IST

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