US Logistical Support in Yemen Makes Washington Complicit
Human Rights Watch said in a report released Friday that the investigation into the war crimes in Yemen by Saudi Arabia has lacked credibility and has failed to provide correct the targeting of civilian victims.
The organization stressed that US logistical support for coalition raids in Yemen could make Washington complicit, explaining that "there is no credibility to the investigation of the coalition."
The organization noted that Saudi and Emirati leaders may face criminal liability for what is happening in Yemen, pointing out that the Security Council should consider imposing sanctions on senior leaders of the coalition of aggression on Yemen.
The continuation of the coalition's illegal air strikes and the failure to adequately investigate alleged violations expose arms suppliers to the coalition - including the United States, the United Kingdom and France - to the risk of involvement in future illegal attacks. These countries should immediately suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia, noting that "in September 2018, UN member states should support the renewal and strengthening of the UN Human Rights Council's panel of Experts on Yemen that urged the International Criminal Court," the organization added.
The organization noted that United States became a party to the conflict in Yemen shortly after the start of the aggression on Yemen in March 2015, by providing direct operational support for the operations of the Air Alliance.
In seven attacks by the assessment team, Human Rights Watch identified US-made weapons at the site, none of which were credible. As confirmed on that US operational support for coalition air strikes could make the United States complicit in violations of the laws of war, while continued arms sales to Saudi Arabia could expose US officials to criminal liability.
"Behind the name of the coalition: the absence of credible investigations and compensation for illegal attacks in Yemen, issued in 90 pages, the work of the investigation body of the alliance, joint team to assess accidents (the joint group), over the past two years," a report said.
Human Rights Watch said in its report that it found that the aggression did not meet international standards for transparency, integrity and independence, and did not even meet its limited mandate to assess "allegations and incidents" during military operations.
Provided analyzes that had serious flaws in the laws of war and reached dubious results. "For more than two years, the Coalition alleged that the Joint Accident Assessment Team was reliably investigating the alleged unlawful air strikes, but investigators were covering up war crimes in one way or another," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Governments that sell arms to Saudi Arabia should realize that the false alliance's investigations do not protect them from complicity in serious abuses in Yemen," she said.
She also noted that despite coalition promises, there is no clear way for victims or relatives of civilians to seek compensation from coalition forces. She noted that Saudi and Emirati leaders, whose countries play key roles in military alliance operations, face potential criminal liability as leadership responsibility.
Human Rights Watch said the UN Security Council should consider imposing targeted sanctions on senior coalition commanders who share the greatest responsibility for repeated grave violations.
"The failure of the Coalition's investigative body to carry out credible investigations or appropriate measures reinforces the urgent need for UN Human Rights Council members to renew and strengthen UN investigations into violations by all parties in Yemen," Whitson said.