HRW accuses Riyadh of trying to cancel war crimes investigation in Yemen

SANAA, Sept. 22 (YPA) – Human Rights Watch organization (HRW) on Friday accused Saudi Arabia of trying to abolish a United Nations-backed investigation into war crimes in Yemen.

HRW described the Saudi attempt to kill the investigation as a “blatant attempt to avoid scrutiny.”

“The Saudi-led coalition’s campaign to discredit and undermine a UN investigation into abuses by all Yemen’s warring parties is yet another blatant attempt to avoid scrutiny of the coalition’s own actions in Yemen,” John Fisher, HRW’s Geneva director, said in a statement.

“The Human Rights Council cannot afford to fail Yemeni civilians. States should renew the mandate of the (probe) or risk the Council’s credibility,” he added.

Mona Sabella, an international advocacy officer at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, said independent investigations like those led by experts were important for the credibility of the council.

She said failure to renew or strengthen such mandates would “empower repressive governments that want to destroy the UN human rights system.”

E.M