Yemeni Health Ministry Condemns Saudi Targeting of Medical Staff and Ambulances: Statement

YemenExtra

M.A.

The Ministry of Public Health and Population condemned the Saudi-led coalition’s targeting of two ambulances and their medical staff on Friday, killing and injuring 5 citizens in al-Jawf governorate.

The ministry said in a statement that the US/UK/UAE-backed coalition violated all the laws of war, especially the rules relating to the conduct of hostilities; the two additional protocols of 1977 as part of the four Geneva Conventions.

The ministry confirmed that the Saudi-led coalition’s attack on two ambulances and the killing of its health and first aid crew of 4 and one of the patients who was being transported on one of them is considered a war crime, as stipulated in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Article 8, that it falls within the war crimes and serious violations of Geneva conventions, 1949.

The statement called on the United Nations, UN envoy and international organizations working in the legal, humanitarian and human rights to assume responsibility for such war crimes and to condemn these crimes and seek to bring the perpetrators to the International Criminal Court.

The statement reads as follows:

The Ministry of Public Health and Population strongly condemns the continued targeting of ambulances and medical crews by the Saudi American aggression. The aircraft of the aggression targeted an ambulance (Jeep 2013) in the district of Khab Al-Shaaf in Al-Jawf governorate.

This occurred when the ambulance left the health center of Al-Abraq to transfer one of the patients. Everyone on-board, consisting of the medical practitioner, the driver, and the patient, lost their lives.

Another ambulance (Jeep 2009) was targeted at Al-Zahra district in the same governorate. This led to the death of the driver and the accompanying doctor on their way to help one of the patients.

It is clear that the countries of the coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the US, are premeditatedly monitoring and targeting ambulances, adding to the series of war crimes against the medical sector and all its aspects, since it was first launched and until today.

The number of killed and wounded in the health sector, with today’s four victims, amount to (306 killed and wounded) and the number of targeted ambulances has reached (92).

The Ministry of Public Health and Population condemns in the strongest terms the act of aggression against two ambulances and their medical crews, which was perpetrated by the Saudi/US-led coalition.

Regarding the medical sector, the aforementioned hostile acts are two new war crimes; violations of all the laws and customs of war, particularly the rules relating to the conduct of hostilities, as the two additional protocols of 1977 affiliated with 1949 Geneva Conventions stipulate that “the principle of distinction between military objectives and civilian objects is that only military objectives can be the object of war action and attack by the other party provided that all measures and precautions are taken to prevent damage to civilian objects.”

In addition, the principle of general immunity for civilian objects contained in article 12 of additional protocol 1 to the four Geneva Conventions states that “medical units shall not be violated at all times and shall not be the object of any attack”, and this statement is clear and all parties are obliged not to harm the health units, whether those in cities or villages or mobile, including those directly involved in the lines of war and used for emergency purposes only, leave alone civilian medical units, such as today’s crime against two ambulances.

Moreover, it is a fact that article 52 of additional protocol 1 clearly defines and protects the immunities of civilian objects (including health facilities).

The first optional protocol to the four Geneva Conventions of 1977 states: “Medical vehicles shall enjoy the respect and protection established by the Geneva Conventions and the First Protocol of Mobile Medical Units.”

According to the aforementioned, the attack of the coalition today on two ambulances and the killing of its health and ambulance staff of 4 and one of the patients on-board is a war crime, as provided for in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court , Article 8, that falls within the war crimes violations and serious breaches of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949.

In the Ministry of Health and in accordance with the above, we call upon the United Nations, its UN envoys, international organizations working in the legal, humanitarian and human rights to assume responsibility for such war crimes, condemn these crimes and seek to bring the perpetrators to the International Criminal Court as authorized by applicable laws.

This move is considered an important part of the movement of this period to bring peace to Yemen. The silence toward these violations is a crime against Yemenis, the international laws and it negatively affects the peace process.

We also call on all the free people of the world to learn more about the crimes committed by the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against the Yemeni land and its people in order to put pressure on the leaders of their countries to move positively towards the assistance and support of the oppressed Yemenis through lifting the siege and stopping the aggression that destroyed agriculture and childbirth in about four Years.

Issued by the Ministry of Public Health and Population
21 December 2018