Millions of Yemenis continue to endure the long-lasting consequences of the devastating ongoing conflict amid the chronic failure of parties to the conflict to provide justice and redress for victims of crimes under international law and human rights violations, said Amnesty International on the ninth anniversary of the conflict.
The organization renews its call on the international community to establish an independent international accountability mechanism to investigate and publicly report on the most serious violations and abuses of international law committed over the past nine years as well as collecting and preserving evidence for future criminal prosecution and reparation claims.
By continuing to overlook accountability, the international community is not only failing victims in Yemen but also fuelling a general climate of impunity in which crimes under international law will see no decline in Yemen and beyond.”
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Grazia Careccia
“Although a de facto ceasefire has resulted in a decline in hostilities compared to previous years, parties to the conflict in Yemen continue to commit unlawful attacks and killings with impunity and to restrict the movement and delivery of aid,” said Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Grazia Careccia.
“Yemen is already facing one of the worst ongoing humanitarian crises in the world and the recent military escalation in the country, following US and UK air strikes on Huthi targets, risks worsening an already grave situation for the civilian population.”
Amnesty International’s ongoing documentation illustrates how Yemen’s climate of widespread impunity has emboldened perpetrators of commit human rights violations including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearance, torture, and unfair trials against human rights defenders, journalists, or anyone perceived as an opponent or a critic to the different authorities on the ground.
“An independent international accountability mechanism that opens pathways to criminal accountability and provides effective redress to victims is crucial for ending the cycle of impunity,” said Grazia Careccia.
“By continuing to overlook accountability, the international community is not only failing victims in Yemen but also fuelling a general climate of impunity in which crimes under international law will see no decline in Yemen and beyond.”
Yemen remains among the world’s worst humanitarian crises with an estimated 4.56 million people displaced by the conflict and over 70,000 refugees and asylum seekers based on UNHCR figures. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that 18.2 million need humanitarian assistance and protection. At least 17.6 million people currently face food and nutrition insecurity while half of all children in Yemen under the age of five are suffering from moderate to severe stunting due to food insecurity.
Background
In October 2021, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) members narrowly rejected the resolution that would have renewed the mandate of the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen (GEE) after Saudi Arabia, backed by the UAE, lobbied HRC members to vote against its renewal. The GEE, established by the HRC in 2017, was the only international, impartial, and independent investigative body that reported on human rights violations and abuses in Yemen. The dissolution of the GEE has left a gap that no national mechanism can at present fill when it comes to meeting impartiality and independence standards in collecting and preserving evidence, identifying victims, and documenting violations and abuses for possible future criminal prosecutions and reparation claims.
On 26 July 2023, over 40 Yemeni civil society organizations and victims and survivor associations launched the Yemen Declaration for Justice and Reconciliation. The declaration emphasizes the need for a post-conflict justice process to address the grievances of the Yemeni people.