On 14 September at the 36th session of the Human Rights Council, ADHRB’s legal officer delivered an oral intervention during the Item 3 Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Unilateral Coercive Measures. The intervention raised concerns over the Saudi-led Coalition’s total air and sea blockade on Yemen, which has destroyed Yemen’s economy and caused widespread human and physical devastation. Please continue reading for the full text of the intervention, or click here for a PDF.
Mr. President,
IDO and Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for his report. We share your concerns over current coercive unilateral measures and that significantly and drastically affect human rights.
In this context, we would like to raise our concern over the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Yemen by the Saudi-led Coalition through a total land, air and sea blockade and uninterrupted airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure, which many observers believe amounts to war crimes. These measures ultimately result in the violation of the political, economic and health rights of the Yemeni people and the worsening of the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.
We are concerned these measures constitute the greatest impediment to a peaceful political transition in Yemen, having stalled the political negotiations that were ongoing when the external intervention began. They are also the primary cause of the country’s economic devastation and the aggravation of the humanitarian situation, preventing the Yemeni population from accessing food and medical supplies, and provoking mass suffering mostly among the civilian population. The widespread and indiscriminate nature of these abuses may implicate the Saudi-led coalition in crimes against humanity. These measure ultimately undermine international peace and security in the region.
In light of the current situation, we therefore ask: “How has your mandate interacted with all parties in Yemen and the Saudi-led Coalition in order to address these concerns and their impact on the humanitarian crisis in the country?”
Thank you.
