On 17 March, ADHRB and other NGOs have delivered an oral intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 52 under item 3 during the General debate. They direct the Council’s attention to the rights violations against the people of Yemen, where the Saudi led coalition has been imposing unlawful unilateral coercive measures that prevent and delay food, medicine, and fuel imports from entering Yemen for the last 8 years.
Mr President,
We direct the Council’s attention to the rights violations against the people of Yemen, where the Saudi led coalition has been imposing unlawful unilateral coercive measures that prevent and delay food, medicine, and fuel imports from entering Yemen for the last 8 years. This is a war crime that has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the World as nearly 500,000 civilians have died, mostly women and children. The Coalition’s unlawful measures don’t end there. The most recent limited opening of Sanaa International Airport has taken its toll on hundreds of thousands of civilians seeking medical treatment abroad. Those able to travel in the past 10 months do not amount to the number that travelled in 10 days when the airport was fully operational. Equally troubling, is that the U.N. is boasting this as an accomplishment, even though these unlawful measures trample on the rights this Council is mandated to protect. To make matters worse, these unlawful measures are being used as a negotiating card in the UN-mediated truce talks. Mr President, We reiterate our past recommendation that the U.N. Human Rights Council must prioritize humanitarian objectives by removing the restrictions imposed on Yemen’s seaports and airports as a first step towards a comprehensive political solution. In this manner, the senseless suffering of civilians can be alleviated while political negotiations continue.
Thank you.
