French rights orgs call for trial of bin Zayed on war crimes in Yemen

PARIS, Jan. 21 (YPA) – French human rights organizations have called on French President Emmanuel Macron to pressure Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to curb abuses practiced by the UAE occupation in Yemen.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the organizations also called for a halt to French arms sales to the UAE, “which is Saudi Arabia’s main ally in the war against Yemen.”

Bin Zayed is expected to visit France on Wednesday, and will meet with the President Macaron, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

The human rights organizations said France was the “leading” supplier of weapons to the UAE and that it should raise serious concerns in Paris over the war violations against Yemen.

In November 2018, the Alliance International for Defending Rights and Freedoms (AIDL) said that the French judiciary is considering the proceedings against bin Zayed for human rights violations in Yemen.

Therefore, bin Zayed was forced to postpone his visit, which was scheduled to France last November, because of fears of clashes with human rights organizations in Paris.

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