Investigation of Torture Prisons in Yemen Is a Must :Amnesty International

YemenExtra

Y.A

Amnesty International has called for an urgent investigation into the torture of the UAE and the potential role of the United States in southern Yemen.
“The United Nations should immediately investigate the role of the UAE and other parties in establishing this horrific network of torture: thousands of Yemenis have disappeared in these jails, enforced disappearances and torture are criminal offenses under international law,” he said. The crimes and those responsible should be held accountable. ”

“The United Nations should immediately investigate the role of the UAE and other parties in establishing this horrific network of torture, thousands of Yemenis have disappeared in these prisons,” the statement said. The statement called on America and the European countries to immediately stop arms transfers to the UAE.

It is very likely that the UAE will use these weapons to facilitate enforced disappearances, torture or other serious violations of international humanitarian law. Otherwise, such arms supply could be complicity in war crimes.
“As a signatory to the international arms trade treaty, the UAE must also refrain from any actions that would frustrate the treaty’s purpose in alleviating human suffering,” the statement concluded.

In a commentary to the Associated Press’s investigative report on the UAE’s secret prisons network in Yemen, “Lynn Maalouf”, director of research at the Beirut Regional Office of Amnesty International, stressed the need to investigate About the network of secret prisons of the UAE in Yemen allegations that US forces are involved in interrogations of detainees or receive information that could be had been extracted under torture, asserting that this could place the United States in the position of accomplice in such crimes under international law.

Amnesty International said that countries that continue to supply arms to the United Arab Emirates and its coalition partners to be used in Yemen, although they are parties to the Arms Trade Treaty, risk violating the basic provisions of the treaty, especially with regard to human rights, stressing that the UAE is accused of grave violations Human Rights in Yemen.

As the UAE maintains a network of prisons and detention centers in its territory, Amnesty International said that consideration of the torture practiced by the United Arab Emirates within the UAE itself and regularly documented by Amnesty International in the past confirms that it is by no means reasonable that the United States was not aware of this or it was supposed to be aware of this and that there were real risks that detainees would be tortured.

Human Rights Watch accused the United States of ignoring torture by its allies in Yemen, saying there was evidence of US complicity in abuses by UAE and Yemeni forces.

Many US defense officials have confirmed senior US commanders’ knowledge of the allegations of torture. But these officials worked to minimize US responsibility, saying the commanders had considered the allegations and were satisfied that there had been no violation of “the presence of US forces.”

Human Rights Watch, journalists and other groups have documented widespread torture and disappearances in detention facilities run by the UAE and local forces. It also issued a report on its investigation into the detention and enforced disappearance of 49 people – including 4 children – in Yemen.

A senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee – John McCain of the Arizona Republican Party and Jack Reid of the Rhode Island Democratic Party – wrote to Secretary of Defense James Matisse urging him to “immediately review the facts” and immediately investigate reports published by the Senate Armed Services Committee. International organizations on the existence of secret prisons to torture detainees in Yemen, supervised by the UAE and involving US military investigators.

International organizations have also called on US legislators to exercise more effective control over US participation in the Yemeni war (for example by holding interrogation sessions). This is only one of a series of incidents of possible US collusion in war crimes in Yemen.
For his part, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labor Party, Jeremy Corbin, said that an international investigation should be launched into reports by human rights organizations and media institutions about Emirate’s secret prisons in Yemen where detainees are being tortured. He explained that countries that violate human rights or kill civilians should not continue to acquire British weapons.

Media reports have confirmed that the UAE and its allies in the Yemeni security forces are arbitrarily arresting and  torturing detainees . It also said that US forces were involved in interrogations with these detainees in a network of secret prisons in different parts of southern Yemen.

Source # Websites