UK Criticized After Blocking Human Rights Council Inquiry into War Crimes in Yemen

"Britain has blocked European Union efforts to establish an independent international inquiry into the war in Yemen, prompting dismay among human rights groups.

The Netherlands had hoped to garner broad support for its proposal that the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva set up an inquiry to examine civilian deaths in Yemen, where the Saudi Arabia-led coalition is accused of committing war crimes.

Instead, with the UK refusing to give its backing, the Netherlands' proposal for an international inquiry – submitted on Friday by Slovakia on behalf of the EU – was replaced with a much weaker one that the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) dispatch a mission 'with assistance from relevant experts, to monitor and report on the situation ... in Yemen'. This falls far short of what human rights groups and the OHCHR had wanted...

Foreign secretary Boris Johnson last week rejected the need for such an inquiry, arguing that the UK was 'using a very, very wide variety of information sources about what is happening to acquaint ourselves with the details' about Yemen.

But the revelation that the UK neutered EU attempts to bring about such an investigation is likely to raise questions about its motives. Since the conflict began, the UK has sold more than £3bn worth of weapons and military equipment to the Saudis and defence contractors hope more deals are in the pipeline..."