September Net

Yemen’s Human Rights Minister said the Houthi coup d’état on September 21, 2014 is what plunged Yemen ‘into this darkness, referring to the devastating war running for years.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, Mohammed Askar said: “The world was watching that coup when the Houthi militia issued a ‘Constitutional Declaration’ revoking the constitution and country’s constitutional institutions. By that the then transitional process was sabotaged and Yemen was plunged into this dark tunnel,” he elaborated.

He said the UNHRC-formed Group of Eminent Experts reporting the status of human rights ignored reports of the Yemeni government and reports of the national independent National Enquiry Commission which enjoys all the facilities to access facts related to human rights abuse independently .

Askar demanded the UNHRC to focus on helping Yemen with technical assistance and to urge the Houthi militants to keep up their end of the bargain known as the “Stockholm Agreement”; withdraw from Hodeidah ports, release prisoners, lift the protracted siege on Taiz city; and allow humanitarian aid to reach the war affected populations.