Human Rights Council’s decision to end probe group's mandate is victory for truth, led by Bahrain

Manama, Oct. 8 (BNA): The UN Human Rights Council decision to end the mandate of the UN Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts (GEE) on Yemen has come at the right time to end the use of the UN entity to serve political agendas and objectives far from the lofty values and principles of international human rights, President of the Arab Union for Human Rights, Isa Al-Arabi, has said. Isa Al Arabi has stressed the importance of the Human Rights Council’s decision, saying it would reinforce the promotion and protection of civilians in the country. The remarkable decision was led by Bahrain and the alliance of the Arab, African and Asian group. “With this achievement, the Kingdom of Bahrain has demonstrated its pivotal international role in human rights, after it sought diligently and through unremitting efforts by the Bahraini mission to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva, led by Ambassador Dr. Yusuf AbdulKarim Bucheeri,, to prove the real needs of civilians in Yemen,” Al Arabi said. “The international community looks to the Human Rights Council to protect and promote human rights across the world and to contribute to strengthening international efforts to achieve security and peace and to ensure that everyone enjoys them fairly and without discrimination.” However, the Council did not contribute to achieving such noble objectives for civilians in Yemen, specifically through the international experts and their duties and responsibilities in the investigation of violations and crimes related to international human rights law and international humanitarian law, he added. “The work of the international experts over the years has been marked by imbalances and schisms that contributed to deviation from its basic mandate and was used to serve political agendas and goals far from the lofty values and principles of the world of human rights,” he said. “The Human Rights Council, as the representative of the international community, therefore took the initiative to rise up to its responsibilities towards civilians and to end the mandate of the international group of experts that extended for years without any positive prospect. The group’s approach in fact contributed to deepening divisions and prolonging the conflict and the human suffering of civilians in Yemen.” The international community realized that the GEE, with the support of the European Group, failed to achieve a better reality for civilians in Yemen, after all parties concerned with the conflict in Yemen refused to cooperate with them, he said. The parties decided not to cooperate after they realized that the group’s work deviated from international standards and that the members failed to fulfill their mandate and to carry out their tasks efficiently and professionally because they lack the competencies, capabilities and aptitudes to fulfill the responsibility related to the tasks of international truth and investigation commissions, Al Arabi said. “The international community has recently shown solidarity by confronting the European Community’s domination over the decisions of the Human Rights Council for many years. This domination has contributed to aggravating relations between many members in the Council and made them lose confidence and trust in the Council’s mechanisms and mandate to protect and promote human rights in the world,” he said. “The Council’s decision represents a victory for the lofty humanitarian determination primarily concerned with the UN Human Rights. It will contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights in Yemen, the promotion of security and peace and the strengthening of accountability for violations of international human rights laws.” Al Arabi added that cooperation and coordination of all parties in the conflict and the Yemeni government, with the support of the international community, will then secure an end to the conflict in Yemen and ensure that everyone enjoys their rights in a safe and stable environment.