BRIEFING NOTES: (1) Yemen; (2) Afghanistan

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Jeremy Laurence

Location: Geneva

Date: 4 November 2022

Subject: (1) Yemen

(2) Afghanistan

1) Yemen

It is now just over a month since the expiry of a UN-mediated truce in Yemen that started on 2 April, and we are gravely concerned for the safety and security of civilians. There has been reported loss of life and injuries resulting from sniper attacks and shelling, as well as an attack on a port facility that put the lives of civilians at serious risk.

The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, echoes the calls of the Secretary-General to extend the truce and to work toward a negotiated settlement to bring this protracted and terrible conflict to an end once and for all.

The outbreak of war over seven years ago plunged Yemen into an unparalleled humanitarian crisis. The truce agreement on 2 March, however, had brought relative calm - there was a sharp reduction in civilian casualties, the flow of fuel deliveries to Hudaydah increased, and Sanaa airport reopened after years of closure to commercial flights. Despite these positive developments, the reopening of roads to relieve the population of Ta’iz from years of what is effectively a siege did not materialize. Sadly, and worryingly, the truce expired on 2 October without the parties reaching an agreement to extend it.

In the last week of October, the UN Human Rights Office verified three incidents of shelling in government-controlled territory that claimed the lives of a boy and a man, and wounded four boys, including two who required leg amputations. Our Office also verified three incidents of sniper shootings attributed to Ansar Allah forces, injuring a boy, a woman and two men. On 21 October, Ansar Allah also conducted a drone attack on Al Dhabah oil terminal port in Hadramaut Governorate that exposed civilians to unwarranted, serious risk.

We remind all parties to the conflict that they must strictly adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law in the conduct of military operations and to do their utmost to absolutely limit the impact of those military operations on civilians. Parties to the conflict have strict obligations to facilitate the access of humanitarian relief organisations to populations in need and to facilitate civilian access to humanitarian and life-saving services. Furthermore, the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international law and constitutes a war crime. Any such attacks must immediately cease, and the relevant authorities should investigate such incidents and hold those responsible to account.

It is clearly evident that the suffering of the Yemeni people will continue until this conflict is brought to an end. We therefore reiterate the calls of the UN Secretary-General who has said it is time for Government forces and their allies, together with Ansar Allah forces and their international backers, to “choose peace for good”.

2) Afghanistan

We have received deeply worrying reports that yesterday (Thursday) afternoon in Kabul, a number of de facto security officials disrupted a press conference by a women’s civil society organisation, arresting one woman, Zarifa Yaqobi, and four of her male colleagues. Sources report that police officers detained the remaining female participants in the press conference room for about an hour. They reportedly conducted body searches and examined the women’s phones, before releasing them.

Zarifa Yaqobi and the four male colleagues remain in detention. We are concerned about the welfare of these five individuals and have sought information from the de facto authorities regarding their detention.

All Afghans have the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and opinion, without fear of arrest or intimidation. We urge the de facto authorities to respect these rights.

Afghanistan as a State remains a party to a number of core international human rights treaties and conventions, including the Convention against Torture. We call on the de facto authorities to respect the rights of all those in detention.

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