Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called for Saudi Arabia to be suspended from the UN Human Rights Council, stating it has been using its position “to effectively obstruct justice for possible war crimes”.
Speaking from the UN on Wednesday, head of Amnesty’s UN Office Richard Bennett said, “Since joining the council, Saudi Arabia’s dire human rights record at home has continued to deteriorate and the coalition it leads has unlawfully killed and injured thousands of civilians in the conflict in Yemen”.
“To allow it to remain an active member of the council, where it has used this position to shield itself from accountability for possible war crimes, smacks of deep hypocrisy. It would bring the world’s top human rights body into disrepute,” he added.
“The credibility of the U.N. Human Rights Council is at stake.”
A Saudi-led coalition is currently engaged in fighting in Yemen, with thousands of civilians thought to have been killed. The coalition is accused of targeting civilian structures, as well as using cluster munitions – with 19 different cluster attacks documented, said the rights groups.
“What’s particularly shocking is the deafening silence of the international community which has time and again ceded to pressure from Saudi Arabia and put business, arms and trade deals before human rights despite the Kingdom’s record of committing gross and systematic violations with complete impunity,” said Mr Bennett.
See more from Salon here.
Speaking from the UN on Wednesday, head of Amnesty’s UN Office Richard Bennett said, “Since joining the council, Saudi Arabia’s dire human rights record at home has continued to deteriorate and the coalition it leads has unlawfully killed and injured thousands of civilians in the conflict in Yemen”.
“To allow it to remain an active member of the council, where it has used this position to shield itself from accountability for possible war crimes, smacks of deep hypocrisy. It would bring the world’s top human rights body into disrepute,” he added.
“The credibility of the U.N. Human Rights Council is at stake.”
A Saudi-led coalition is currently engaged in fighting in Yemen, with thousands of civilians thought to have been killed. The coalition is accused of targeting civilian structures, as well as using cluster munitions – with 19 different cluster attacks documented, said the rights groups.
“What’s particularly shocking is the deafening silence of the international community which has time and again ceded to pressure from Saudi Arabia and put business, arms and trade deals before human rights despite the Kingdom’s record of committing gross and systematic violations with complete impunity,” said Mr Bennett.
See more from Salon here.
