Associated Press: Saudi Arabia Aims to Prevent Adoption of a Human Rights Council Resolution on Yemen

Saudi Arabia has threatened other countries regarding voting on a draft resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council that proposes sending independent international inspectors to assess the situation in Yemen. The Associated Press reported that two proposals regarding the documentation and tracking of human rights violations in Yemen have been raised at the UN Human Rights Council sessions: one proposal by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, and another by Canada and the Netherlands. In this context, Saudi Arabia has sent letters to at least two countries stating that Riyadh and other Arab nations will not accept the 'Canadian and Dutch proposal for sending international inspectors to investigate the human rights situation in Yemen.' According to the report, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN Human Rights Commissioner, has called for these investigations. The Associated Press noted that Saudi Arabia defends the current internal inspections in Yemen, which critics believe have not effectively tracked human rights violations. Since the entry of the Saudi-led regional coalition forces into the Yemeni civil war against Houthi rebels in the spring of 2015, over 10,000 civilians have lost their lives in the poorest Arab country. The coalition's involvement in this war has been at the request of the Yemeni government led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The report states that although both sides claim to be working towards agreeing on a common text for approval by the 47 member countries of the UN Human Rights Council, Saudi Arabia's letter indicates that Riyadh is using diplomatic and economic pressure to undermine the rival proposal. In part of the letter, Saudi Arabia stated that 'the adoption of the proposed draft resolution by Canada and the Netherlands at the UN Human Rights Council would negatively impact bilateral diplomatic and economic relations.' The Associated Press added that two Western diplomats, who requested anonymity, confirmed that their countries received this letter. When a copy of this letter was shown to the Saudi ambassador in Geneva, he told the Associated Press that he was unaware of such a letter. According to the report, Saudi Arabia has been able to thwart previous Dutch government actions in the UN Human Rights Council aimed at more accurate reporting on the human rights situation in Yemen. The goal of the proposed resolution by the Netherlands and Canada is to allow international inspectors to report on the human rights situation in areas controlled by the rebels, which is currently impossible through internal inspections. The US government has not publicly taken a stance in this dispute over the two competing draft resolutions. The Saudi-led military coalition, which primarily receives military equipment and weapons from the US, UK, and France, has faced severe criticism from human rights organizations for targeting civilians. The people of Yemen have been in dire conditions due to the war in recent years. The country is on the brink of famine and is currently facing the largest outbreak of cholera in the world. A Human Rights Watch official in Geneva pointed to what he called 'widespread human rights violations by both sides in the Yemen war,' stating: 'While the people of Yemen are caught in a horrific situation, the international community has remained silent.' This organization issued a statement in Geneva saying that since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has 'bombed residential homes, markets, schools, and hospitals, while the Houthi forces have shelled cities and mined areas that will harm civilians for years. Both sides use methods such as arbitrary detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances.' Human Rights Watch has supported the proposed resolution text by Canada and the Netherlands.