February 15, 2024
SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties proudly presented a Joint UPR Statement as an active member of the Justice4Yemen Coalition, supported by the DT Institute, during this week's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle in Geneva. At the Human Rights Council meeting, our coalition addressed critical issues related to human rights violations in Yemen, encompassing the ongoing conflict, detentions, forced disappearances, and their impact on civilians. We have actively engaged in two vital platforms: UPR Pre-sessions and the exchange with NGOs and EU Member States.
The statement highlights pivotal human rights issues, with a specific focus on children's rights, and expressing concerns about arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture. As part of the coalition, we put forth the following key recommendations: Conduct impartial and transparent investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by all parties involved in the conflict. Publicize the findings and ensure accountability by holding perpetrators responsible for all violations and abuses. Ensure that any peace agreement or political settlement in Yemen includes provisions for transitional justice, accountability, and reparations, in consultation with victims, survivors, and civil society. The full statement can be found here.
In our commitment to broaden our advocacy efforts, we collaborated with numerous local and international organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), among others, to further contribute to the UPR with joint recommendations. This collective statement encompasses submissions made by civil society organizations, addressing accountability and redress, arbitrary detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances, women’s rights and gender equality, children, and armed conflict, blocking and impeding humanitarian access, refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and internally displaced people, persons with disabilities, freedom of expression, journalists, and human rights defenders. You can view the full joint recommendations here.
Tawfiq Al-Hamidi, President of SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, added: “I call for standing with and supporting local human rights organizations to enhance their capabilities in monitoring and documentation to reach the highest international standards. It is crucial to foster collaborative efforts between civil society and the international community, with the goal of impartially safeguarding individuals' lives and countering human rights violations through coordinated actions and open dialogue. Emphasizing the role of civil society in future consultations is now more necessary than ever, serving as a vital component for accountability and the prevention of impunity.”