OHCHR report on Yemen biased, says HR minister

[28/09/2017 02:46]

GENEVA-SABA
Minister of Human Rights Mohammed Askar said that the OHCHR's latest report on the status of human rights in Yemen has been "biased all along to and assuming a political view that does not see the current turmoil as the consequence of takeover by outlawed forces."

In a response, of which Saba obtained a copy, Askar said: "The report envisages the situation as a rivalry for power between two political factions. It also describes the Arab intervention for helping the government and enforcing the UN resolutions as 'hostilities', which is wrong and a politically prejudiced view."

He said that the OHCHR was provided with "government informational observations and facts in addition to August 2017 report on human rights abuses" issued by the competent National Committee.

But the OHCHR did not pay due attention to that information, he said. "On the contrary, the National Committee was subjected to smearing by press releases and by the High Commissioner in his speech at the opening of the HRC's 36th session.

He said that the Committee needs encouragement and technical assistance from the UN HRC to improve its professionalism.

He called on the HRC to help in stopping the systematic atrocities of the Saleh-Houthi coup militias against the civilians in Yemen in general and Taiz in particular. The militias have been shelling the city killing civlians on almost a daily basis and besieging the city for nearly three years.

He reminded the OHCHR of the forcible disappearance of a large number of activists and oppositionists and the appeals of the detainees' mothers and wives for the international community to heed their demands and get their relatives released.
"What matters now is to end the war and achieve peace by enforcing the UNSC resolution no. 2216," he said.

"In these exceptional circumstances of Yemen, the HRC and international community need to attach special importance to Yemen and offer assistance to it to end the coup/insurgency - in the same way it supported in putting down the threat of terrorism - and restore peace, stability and dignity back to the Yemeni people."