US reinforcing Saudi embargo on Yemen: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Edward Corrigan, an international human rights lawyer based in Ontario, to discuss Saudi Arabia’s military aggression against Yemen.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Seeing this from the perspective of international law, how dire is the situation in Yemen and what can be done to hold the Saudis accountable?

Corrigan: Well, it is a clear violation of international and humanitarian law. In fact, I would even argue it is a war crime because you are imposing collective punishment on civilian population - women and children; they are innocents. Of course, the Saudis, backed up by their allies but also supported by the Americans, are imposing an embargo on Yemen, preventing food, medicine, and other necessary supplies [from getting delivered] to the civilian population.

So, this clearly is, as the United Nations and others have pointed out, a clear violation of international law; and you are looking at a humanitarian catastrophe that is largely man-made and preventable on a huge scale.

Because the Saudis want to impose their will and control Yemen and are supported by the feudal states in the Arabian Peninsula but also their allies, the Egyptians and even the Israelis have been bombing Yemen and testing weapons. I have seen and heard reports that they are using depleted uranium in Yemen.

The United States should not be supporting these attacks, but they are; they are in fact reinforcing the embargo on Yemen. The US needs to remember that at one time, it rebelled and fought for freedom against a monarchy and authoritarian government and they have lost that. Now, they have the United States supporting feudal regimes, authoritarian regimes and dictatorships around the world for their own interests and I think this is just a violation of their own historical record and I think ultimately, it is going to create problems in the United States. Because they are losing their credibility, they are supporting regimes that on the face cannot be supported like Saudi Arabia with huge human rights [violations] and the Egyptian regime.

Their policy is also chaotic and inconsistent when they are supporting people on both sides of a fight and they are trying to impose their draconian will on places like Syria and of course we saw the destruction of Libya and Iraq and now we are seeing the destruction of Yemen.

So any impulse of independence or freedom in the Arab world is being attacked by the United States and far worse, is being attacked by these regimes that of course will not allow freedom and democracy in their own countries but want to crush it in their neighboring countries.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk