No Peace Without Justice welcomes the European Parliament Resolution on the situation in Yemen

Brussels-Rome, 4 October 2018


 
No Peace Without Justice welcomes the Resolution adopted today by the European Parliament on Yemen. At last, a European institution has raised its voice to condemn in the strongest term the ongoing violence in Yemen, including attacks against civilians, the responsibilities of the Saudi-led coalition and the need for European member states to take a clearer and united stance.

No Peace Without Justice welcomes that the Resolution praises the work undertaken by the United Nations Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen and expresses its full solidarity with its Chairman, Kamel Jendoubi. At the same time, No Peace Without Justice applauds the efforts undertaken by many MEPs during the plenary session, urging all EU Member States to refrain from selling arms and any military equipment to the parties involved, which was ultimately adopted in the final text.

No Peace Without Justice warmly welcomes that the Resolution denounces the destruction of Yemeni cultural heritage by the airstrikes of the Saudi-led coalition and that crimes against children were unequivocally condemned in the final text. Such crimes range from the recruitment of children by armed forces on the ground, to violent attacks targeting civilian infrastructure. The Resolution further recalls that, according to the United Nations Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, these may constitute war crimes and those responsible may be prosecuted through national or international prosecution. Alternatively, through the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction or through a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC), underlying that impunity is not an option.

Finally, No Peace Without Justice is pleased by the fact that the European Parliament has decided to remained committed on this issue, asking the Subcommittee on Human Rights to produce a report on the violations of human rights and civilian rights perpetrated in the country. We are convinced that this will allow to maintain a focus on what the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has qualified as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”.