Local Editor
A group of 11 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) urged the Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the UN Human Rights Council to support the High Commissioner’s call for an international, independent investigation into civilian deaths and injuries in Yemen.
The NGOs stated in their letter that over the course of the conflict, the council has missed critical opportunities to address alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen.
The letter also read that the council adopted a deeply flawed resolution, HRC resolution 30/18, drafted by Saudi Arabia, a party to the conflict, that ignored earlier calls for an international inquiry and instead endorsed a Yemeni national commission. A year later, the High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that the national commission was "unable to implement its mandate in accordance with international standards."
The NGOs showed concern for the number of casualties from the Saudi aggression.
"Serious violations and abuses of international law have continued throughout the fighting. Since the Saudi Arabia-led coalition entered the conflict in March 2015, 3,799 civilians have been killed and more than 6,700 wounded. These include at least 1,444 more civilian deaths since the Council failed to create an international inquiry a year ago," the joint letter by the NGOs added.
The non-governmental organizations also accused the Saudi Arabia-led coalition of continuing to commit violations of international human rights and humanitarian law with impunity.
The NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, concluded by saying, "No valid human rights-based reason has been identified that would justify failing to create an international inquiry. No one has suggested that Yemeni civilians will be better protected without such a mechanism. If the Council once again fails to create an international inquiry, it will have shirked its mandate to promote accountability, failed to help provide victims of violations in Yemen the justice to which they are entitled, and undermined its own credibility as the Council marks its tenth anniversary."
Saudi Arabia began its deadly campaign against Yemen in late March 2015. The strikes were meant to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
About 10,000 people have been killed and over 16,000 injured since Riyadh launched the airstrikes. The Saudi aggression has also taken a heavy toll on Yemen’s facilities and infrastructure.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
