National Commission for Investigation Meets with EU, Dutch Missions in Geneva to Discuss Developments in Yemen’s Human Rights Situation

September Net

The National Commission for Investigation into Alleged Human Rights Violations held discussions Thursday in the Swiss city of Geneva with representatives of the European Union and Dutch missions on the latest developments in the human rights situation in Yemen, the findings of the Commission’s 14th periodic report, and its needs to continue its investigative work and field visits.

During the meeting, the Commission’s Deputy Chairman Judge Hussein al-Mashdali, reviewed the violations addressed in the report, noting the expanding scope of cases being investigated by the Commission in light of developments in the conflict, including violations related to maritime navigation.

He also discussed the impact of what he described as the recent escalation by the Houthi militias in the western coastal areas of Taiz and Hodeidah governorates on civilians, including resulting waves of displacement, as well as the restrictions facing health workers and child vaccination campaigns in areas under Houthi control.

For her part, Katerina Tapio, the European Union mission’s human rights officer, expressed the EU’s concern over the recent escalation and its impact on civilians, reaffirming the EU’s continued support for the Commission’s work.

Meanwhile, Nadège Afonso, Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, stressed the importance of the information provided by the Commission in clarifying the reality of violations and the challenges facing its investigative work.