Arabic version will be available on www.ohchr.org shortly
Outrageous attack on funeral makes international
investigation into Yemen even more vital – Zeid
GENEVA (10 October 2016) – Describing the attack on a
funeral in Sana’a on Saturday as “outrageous”, UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Monday reiterated his urgent call for an
independent, international inquiry into alleged violations of international humanitarian
law and international human rights law in the country.
“Since the beginning of this conflict in Yemen, weddings,
marketplaces, hospitals, schools – and now mourners at a funeral – have been
hit, resulting in massive civilian casualties and zero accountability for those
responsible,” the High Commissioner said. “This deadly attack comes just weeks
after the UN Human Rights Council, for the second year in a row, dismissed my
call to take decisive action to create an international, independent
investigative body to look into extremely serious alleged violations of
international law, including possible war crimes, in Yemen. The Human Rights
Council’s inability to take decisive action by setting up an international
investigation is contributing to a climate of impunity, and violations continue
to occur on a regular basis. Such outrageous attacks cannot be allowed to
continue.”
According to eyewitness testimony, hospital records and
other information gathered by UN Human Rights staff, two airstrikes, about
seven to eight minutes apart, hit the packed Al Kubra hall in Sana’a on
Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of people were gathered at the well-known
community hall for the funeral of the father of a senior official. It is
unclear how many people were present but the hall has a capacity of up to 1,000
people. Witnesses described a hall packed with families, including children. A
large number of political and military leaders affiliated with the Houthis and
former president Saleh were among those present, and many were killed.
“The international community has a legal and moral duty
to react robustly to the increasingly horrific levels of civilian casualties in
Yemen, just as it has in many other situations,” Zeid said. “We take note of
the recent letter sent by Saudi Arabia to the Security Council indicating its
readiness to take corrective and appropriate measures to ensure accountability,
including the release of the results of the ongoing investigations into this
incident, in the near future.”
In total, since March 2015, at least 4,125 civilians have
been killed and 7,207 injured in Yemen. The number of casualties has risen
dramatically since the collapse of the cessation of hostilities agreement in
August. During September 2016, 379 civilians were killed and injured. Already,
in just the first ten days of October, the rate has tripled - with 369 civilian
casualties. High Commissioner Zeid expressed serious concern that this latest
incident could lead to a further escalation of hostilities and another steep
increase in civilian casualties.
High Commissioner Zeid also called on all States
contributing to the conduct of hostilities in Yemen in any way to seriously
reconsider their support to the parties to the conflict. He urged all sides to
resume dialogue and to work towards a sustainable ceasefire.
ENDS
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