Saudi raids on Yemenis breach Geneva Convention: Lawyer

Press TV has conducted an interview with Alfred Lambremont Webre, war crimes lawyer from Canada’s Vancouver, to discuss the Saudi aggression against Yemeni people, especially the latest attacks that targeted a hospital and a school in Hajjah and Sa’ada provinces.

Here is a rough transcription of the interview:

Press TV: I would like to get your opinion as Saudi Arabia’s aggression against Yemen goes on. Specifically these two latest incidents of targeting a hospital run by Doctors without Borders and also a school where all casualties were children between 8 and 15.

Webre: It’s clear that both of these incidents are, by their terms, violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits strikes by warring parties against civilians, specifically against children. And here we had ten children. In the small village in Sa’ada province, [children] were killed as they were on their summer holidays. And the same thing with the strike on the hospital. This is a continuing pattern of the regime in Saudi Arabia [which] is now acquiring the status of a rogue regime under international law, even carrying out war crimes, violations of the Geneva Conventions against Hajj pilgrims who have been coming to Saudi Arabia to attend their own religion, the Hajj. And as we understand it, the policy of the advisors to the new government, which results from a power struggle within Saudi Arabia, is based on war crimes and based on deliberate violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, especially against the Houthi people in Yemen. So, this is to be roundly condemned. The Saudi Arabians threaten Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the UN, to withdraw hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions toward the UN because of his criticism of the Saudis' war crimes in Yemen. However, this latest outrage was so grave that even Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon who had wavered a bit under the Saudi pressure, indeed came out and condemned these latest war crimes.

Press TV: Now that there is this documented evidence of systemic violation of human rights and war crimes by Saudi Arabia against the people of Yemen, what can the international community do with regards to this?

Webre: This is very simple. It’s a matter of political will. The responsible officials in Saudi Arabia should be brought on charges before the International Criminal Court. It’s very very simple. It’s just a matter of political will. Those who are running the United Nations and the International Criminal Court are simply compromised and too afraid to face the truth of bringing war crimes against the criminals who continue to slaughter children for policy reasons of attacking the Houthis in Yemen.
 

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