Saudi Impunity Continues as UN Ditches Probe Into Yemen War Crimes
Proposal would have mandated a probe into human rights violations committed on all sides of Yemen's conflict
Caving to stiff opposition from Saudi Arabia, western countries on Wednesday abandoned their proposal for a United Nations inquiry into human rights violations committed during the six-month-old military assault on Yemen--which is led by the powerful Gulf monarchy and backed by the U.S.
The Netherlands tossed out its draft resolution, which had gained backing from other governments, following a vigorous diplomatic campaign from Saudi Arabia. The proposal would have mandated the UN High Commissioner to dispatch a team to investigate human rights violations on all sides of Yemen's ongoing war. It would have also required all parties to allow humanitarian aid to reach people in need.
The development was met with immediate rebuke from rights campaigners.
"The western decision to block the investigation is a disgrace to everything they stand for--from democracy to human rights," Rooj Alwazir, a Yemeni activist currently based in the U.S., told Common Dreams.
"How much more destruction do they need to see for an independent investigation to happen? How much longer are we going to watch entire communities be terrorized and wiped out? By blocking the investigation they are standing with the Saudis and are complicit in the war crimes," added Alwazir, who is a co-founder of Support Yemen Media.
"How much more destruction do they need to see for an independent investigation to happen? How much longer are we going to watch entire communities be terrorized and wiped out?"
--Rooj Alwazir, Support Yemen Media
According to Amnesty International, the Saudi coalition is responsible for the vast majority of the at least 2,355 civilians killed and 4,862 wounded since bombings began in late March. Earlier this week, the coalition bombed a Yemeni wedding party and killed at least 131 people. The attack followed Saudi-led strikes on humanitarian aid warehouses, internally displaced persons camps, factories, densely populated residential neighborhoods, schools, shelters, and water infrastructure.
What's more, the UN estimates that roughly 20 million people, or 80 percent of Yemen's population, are in need of humanitarian aid, but the U.S.-backed naval blockade is preventing food and medical supplies from getting through.
The Dutch proposal was the product of rising urgency--including the call, earlier this month, by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein for an "international, independent, and impartial" investigation into human rights violations. Numerous human rights groups, including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, the Gulf Center for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, have escalated their demand to end Saudi impunity.
Instead, western governments are throwing their weight behind a Saudi-supported resolution that omits any mention of an independent inquiry.
"It is regrettable that the only consensus possible at this Council seems to be its failure to establish an independent, international mechanism to investigate violations and abuses by all sides in Yemen," Human Rights Watch said in a statement released Thursday.
"Such a mechanism would have been crucial to confront continued impunity for crimes committed in the country, but also to send a clear message to all parties that they should respect their international legal obligations to protect civilians and other non-combatants," the organization continued. "The increasingly desperate Yemeni population should not be ignored by the world's preeminent human rights body."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Caving to stiff opposition from Saudi Arabia, western countries on Wednesday abandoned their proposal for a United Nations inquiry into human rights violations committed during the six-month-old military assault on Yemen--which is led by the powerful Gulf monarchy and backed by the U.S.
The Netherlands tossed out its draft resolution, which had gained backing from other governments, following a vigorous diplomatic campaign from Saudi Arabia. The proposal would have mandated the UN High Commissioner to dispatch a team to investigate human rights violations on all sides of Yemen's ongoing war. It would have also required all parties to allow humanitarian aid to reach people in need.
The development was met with immediate rebuke from rights campaigners.
"The western decision to block the investigation is a disgrace to everything they stand for--from democracy to human rights," Rooj Alwazir, a Yemeni activist currently based in the U.S., told Common Dreams.
"How much more destruction do they need to see for an independent investigation to happen? How much longer are we going to watch entire communities be terrorized and wiped out? By blocking the investigation they are standing with the Saudis and are complicit in the war crimes," added Alwazir, who is a co-founder of Support Yemen Media.
"How much more destruction do they need to see for an independent investigation to happen? How much longer are we going to watch entire communities be terrorized and wiped out?"
--Rooj Alwazir, Support Yemen Media
According to Amnesty International, the Saudi coalition is responsible for the vast majority of the at least 2,355 civilians killed and 4,862 wounded since bombings began in late March. Earlier this week, the coalition bombed a Yemeni wedding party and killed at least 131 people. The attack followed Saudi-led strikes on humanitarian aid warehouses, internally displaced persons camps, factories, densely populated residential neighborhoods, schools, shelters, and water infrastructure.
What's more, the UN estimates that roughly 20 million people, or 80 percent of Yemen's population, are in need of humanitarian aid, but the U.S.-backed naval blockade is preventing food and medical supplies from getting through.
The Dutch proposal was the product of rising urgency--including the call, earlier this month, by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein for an "international, independent, and impartial" investigation into human rights violations. Numerous human rights groups, including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, the Gulf Center for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, have escalated their demand to end Saudi impunity.
Instead, western governments are throwing their weight behind a Saudi-supported resolution that omits any mention of an independent inquiry.
"It is regrettable that the only consensus possible at this Council seems to be its failure to establish an independent, international mechanism to investigate violations and abuses by all sides in Yemen," Human Rights Watch said in a statement released Thursday.
"Such a mechanism would have been crucial to confront continued impunity for crimes committed in the country, but also to send a clear message to all parties that they should respect their international legal obligations to protect civilians and other non-combatants," the organization continued. "The increasingly desperate Yemeni population should not be ignored by the world's preeminent human rights body."
Caving to stiff opposition from Saudi Arabia, western countries on Wednesday abandoned their proposal for a United Nations inquiry into human rights violations committed during the six-month-old military assault on Yemen--which is led by the powerful Gulf monarchy and backed by the U.S.
The Netherlands tossed out its draft resolution, which had gained backing from other governments, following a vigorous diplomatic campaign from Saudi Arabia. The proposal would have mandated the UN High Commissioner to dispatch a team to investigate human rights violations on all sides of Yemen's ongoing war. It would have also required all parties to allow humanitarian aid to reach people in need.
The development was met with immediate rebuke from rights campaigners.
"The western decision to block the investigation is a disgrace to everything they stand for--from democracy to human rights," Rooj Alwazir, a Yemeni activist currently based in the U.S., told Common Dreams.
"How much more destruction do they need to see for an independent investigation to happen? How much longer are we going to watch entire communities be terrorized and wiped out? By blocking the investigation they are standing with the Saudis and are complicit in the war crimes," added Alwazir, who is a co-founder of Support Yemen Media.
"How much more destruction do they need to see for an independent investigation to happen? How much longer are we going to watch entire communities be terrorized and wiped out?"
--Rooj Alwazir, Support Yemen Media
According to Amnesty International, the Saudi coalition is responsible for the vast majority of the at least 2,355 civilians killed and 4,862 wounded since bombings began in late March. Earlier this week, the coalition bombed a Yemeni wedding party and killed at least 131 people. The attack followed Saudi-led strikes on humanitarian aid warehouses, internally displaced persons camps, factories, densely populated residential neighborhoods, schools, shelters, and water infrastructure.
What's more, the UN estimates that roughly 20 million people, or 80 percent of Yemen's population, are in need of humanitarian aid, but the U.S.-backed naval blockade is preventing food and medical supplies from getting through.
The Dutch proposal was the product of rising urgency--including the call, earlier this month, by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein for an "international, independent, and impartial" investigation into human rights violations. Numerous human rights groups, including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, the Gulf Center for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, have escalated their demand to end Saudi impunity.
Instead, western governments are throwing their weight behind a Saudi-supported resolution that omits any mention of an independent inquiry.
"It is regrettable that the only consensus possible at this Council seems to be its failure to establish an independent, international mechanism to investigate violations and abuses by all sides in Yemen," Human Rights Watch said in a statement released Thursday.
"Such a mechanism would have been crucial to confront continued impunity for crimes committed in the country, but also to send a clear message to all parties that they should respect their international legal obligations to protect civilians and other non-combatants," the organization continued. "The increasingly desperate Yemeni population should not be ignored by the world's preeminent human rights body."