Bahrain-led UN Human Rights Council’s vote ends GEE mandate in Yemen

Geneva, Oct. 8 (BNA): The Kingdom of Bahrain, Russia and other members of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) have voted for ending the UNHRC’s probe into war crimes in Yemen. In a vote called by Bahrain, the 47-member council rejected a resolution led by the Netherlands to extend the mandate of the independent investigators for two years, which is the first time in the council's 15-year history that a resolution was defeated. During the debate, the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva, Ambassador Dr. Yusuf AbdulKarim Bucheeri, said that Bahrain, the countries of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, in addition to the country concerned with draft-resolution, A/HRC/48/L.1, were essential parties in establishing the UN Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts (GEE) on Yemen, based on the consensual resolution issued by the Human Rights Council in September 2017. He asserted that based on the resolution, the coalition countries had cooperated fully and transparently with the group of eminent experts, but unfortunately, the GEE misused its mandate and overlooked the provisions of the UN Security Council Resolution 2216, describing the Houthi militia leader as the “Leader of the Revolution”, on the one hand, and calling the militias as the “de facto” authorities, on the other, which completely contradicts the Security Council’s resolutions, as it legitimises the coup in Yemen. He added that the investigating team’s reports had contributed significantly to deepening the gap between the Yemeni parties, and impeding the return of the legitimate government, by confusing international public opinion regarding the Yemeni crisis, and considering that the crisis had begun with the intervention of the coalition to save the legitimate government. Ambassador Bucheeri said that the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain believes that the existence of two separate draft resolutions on Yemen in this session under two articles, which are different in nature and topics, is unnatural and creates sharp polarisation that contradicts the noble goal of helping Yemen get out of the crisis it has been facing since the coup of the Houthi militias against the legitimate government in 2014. He stressed that alongside this resolution, there is another one under Article (I) concerned with providing technical assistance and capacity-building to the Yemeni National Commission of Inquiry in order to enhance its capabilities to fulfill its mandate in achieving accountability and justice in close cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner, being the most effective mechanism capable of fulfilling its mandate in terms of monitoring and addressing violations on the ground, given its accurate and extensive knowledge of the complexities of the internal Yemeni political scene, as well as its ability to collect evidence and monitor and analyse violations in a realistic and professional manner, which is what Yemen needs and accepts. He said that the draft resolution on the human rights situation in Yemen under Article (II) is inevitably controversial in this council, as this year's draft resolution seeks to renew the mandate of the group of eminent international and regional experts for two consecutive years, which the legitimate Yemeni government has categorically rejected on many occasions. He pointed out that the insistence of the nucleus group supporting the draft resolution mentioned under Article (II) in ignoring the demands of the legitimate government of he concerned country is a further imposition of wills, a serious violation of Yemen’s national sovereignty, a clear politicisation of human rights issues, and a violation of the noble goals for which the UNHRC was established. Ambassador Bucheeri affirmed that Yemen, an authentic Arab country, deserves to be dealt with on the issue of the human rights situation in a more equitable and efficient manner, and for all these reasons, the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain requests a vote on draft resolution A/HRC/48/L.11, and will vote against it, urging the rest of the countries to vote against it, as well. On the other hand, Yemen’s Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Ahmed Oman Arman, stressed that the Human Rights Council's refusal to extend the mandate of the international and regional expert group on Yemen was its first positive message to Yemenis regarding their position on the Houthi militia. In a statement to the Emirati "Al-Bayan" newspaper, the Yemeni minister said that over the past three years, the Houthis considered that the UNHRC’s vote to extend the mandate of GEE as a green light for them to continue their crimes. He added that they have always warned against bias and unprofessionalism, and as GEE falls under the influence of forces that support the Houthis and tries to improve their image, and mislead international public opinion about the reality of the situation in Yemen, today’s vote to reject the extension of its mandate is considered a victory for the Yemenis, in the face of the Iranian project. Arman considered that today's decision confirms the importance of the role of Yemeni national mechanisms, and the need to give them wider scope to work.