ACHRS: Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Yemen
Yemen has been facing war for more than half a decade, and thousands of civilians are victims of human rights violations. The Amman Center for Human Rights Studies supports UN groups in calling for impunity for these crimes. We also support calls for assistance that would bring justice and dignity to people in Yemen so they can exercise their fundamental rights.
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2021 marks six years of fighting and foreign intervention in Yemen. These conflicts multiply and put people in alarming and desperate situations.
Yemen’s future seems very uncertain as the conflicts continue, including inter-Yemeni violence, government forces, independent militias and conflict with Saudi Arabia.
In 2018, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, described the Yemen crisis as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. U.N Human Rights experts say millions of civilians are suffering not only from the crisis, but also from the neglect of the international community. The United Nations estimates that more than 1,200 civilians have been killed or injured in 2021 alone. Since 2015, more than 20,000 civilians have been killed or injured.
The humanitarian situation in Yemen is one of the most severe in the world, with 40% of the population in need of humanitarian assistance. The direct effects of the conflict continue to have severe effects on the population. People are facing food insecurity, cholera, lack of WASH infrastructure, loss of livelihoods, and the depreciation of the Yemeni currency, which has made the purchase of basic everyday necessities difficult for most Yemenis. These conditions have resulted in 233,000 people dead.
Eminent Expert of UN Group Ardi Imselssaid “This year, the group of Eminent Experts continues to have reasonable grounds to believe that all parties to the conflict have committed serious violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, some of which may amount to war crimes. As we have said before, there are no clean hands in this conflict.”
The numbers of human rights violations by the government of Yemen, supported by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iranian rebels of the Houthi group, are accused by the United Nations because of airstrikes in civilian areas. At the same time, an irreparable trauma is being created in the children and the new generation.
Fundamental rights to food, health and education are denied. The situation for women worsens as well. Holding these parties responsible and providing aid to Yemen is in the best interest of the international community, and will combat violence, torture, gender discrimination, and food and healthcare insecurity.
The Amman Center for Human Rights Studies supports UN groups in calling for impunity for these crimes that must end. We also support calls for assistance that would bring justice and a dignified life to all people in Yemen, allowing them to exercise their fundamental rights. The countries concerned are also called to stop all sale and transfer of arms to Yemen, as these arms sales actively contribute to human rights violations.
Photo source: Reuters
