States Should Strip Saudi of its HRC Membership Rights

On 28 October 2016, the nations of the world re-elected Saudi Arabia to a seat on the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC). Saudi won its bid to a seat on the Council by running unopposed. Regardless of the circumstances of its election, UN and HRC member states should freeze Saudi Arabia’s position on[…]

Saudi’s Re-Election to the Human Rights Council is an Insult

On Friday 28 October 2016, the 193 member states of the United Nations cast their ballots in elections for the Human Rights Council, and 152 states decided that Saudi Arabia was fit to occupy a seat. The elections were for 14 of the Council’s 47 seats, one of which Saudi will occupy as a representative[…]

Saudi Arabia Flouts its Legal and Ethical Responsibilities in Yemen

On 8 October 2016, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombed a crowded funeral reception hall in Sana’a, Yemen, killing more than 140 and injuring more than 525 Yemenis. This is only one of the coalition’s most recent deadly attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Yemen. Since its entry into the conflict in Yemen in March[…]

MSF Releases Details of Coalition Airstrikes on Hospitals in Yemen

On Tuesday, Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) released the findings from their investigations into two Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on medical facilities in Yemen. The attacks struck an MSF clinic in Taiz city on 2 December 2015 and, more recently, targeted a hospital in Abs, Hajjah province on 15 August 2016. In both cases, the report concludes the bombings[…]

The Consequences of Complicity

Last week the United States (US) Senate failed to pass a bipartisan resolution (SJ Res 39) that would have condemned and suspended a $1.15 billion tank sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The debate took place after incriminating reports revealed US weapons were involved in recent, and particularly heinous, attacks in Yemen.  The failure[…]