Rights groups demand UN probe into abuses in Yemen
madaresharghi Fifty-seven rights groups from around the world on Tuesday demanded a UN enquiry into abuses in Yemen, as Saudi Arabia continues its deadly strikes against the impoverished nation. In a letter to members of the UN Human Rights Council, the 57 signatories called for the creation of an independent body to look into violations […]
Fifty-seven rights groups from around the world on Tuesday demanded a UN enquiry into abuses in Yemen, as Saudi Arabia continues its deadly strikes against the impoverished nation.
In a letter to members of the UN Human Rights Council, the 57 signatories called for the creation of an independent body to look into violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian laws, AFP reported.
“Serious violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of international human rights law by parties to the conflict have continued to be committed with impunity,” said Human Rights Watch, one of the signatories.
HRW said in a statement that the Saudi-led coalition had conducted scores of “unlawful air strikes, some of which may amount to war crimes, which have killed thousands of civilians and hit schools, hospitals, markets and homes.”
Since 2015, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had been calling for investigations into alleged violations and abuses in Yemen, it noted.
“The victims of abuses in Yemen cannot afford to wait longer for credible investigations into ongoing grave violations and abuses to be undertaken,” said the letter.
Since March 2015, Yemen has been under military strikes by a Saudi-led coalition.
More than 12,000 people have been killed since the onset of the war, and much of the country’s infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and factories, has been ravaged.
The Saudi war has also triggered a deadly cholera epidemic across Yemen and has dragged the impoverished country to the brink of widespread famine.