Rights Bodies and Organizations: The Saudi Targeting of Sana’a Airport Is a War Crime That Undermines De-escalation Efforts
The National Commission for Human Rights condemned the Saudi raids that targeted Sana’a International Airport, considering them an attempt to prevent a civilian aircraft from landing and reflecting an unprecedented disregard for civilian lives and the safety of air navigation.
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The commission, affiliated with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights in Sana’a, affirmed that targeting the airport while a civilian aircraft was preparing to land constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Chicago Convention on Civil Aviation, warning that endangering passengers and crews amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity.
It also held Saudi Arabia and the United States legally and morally responsible for the attack, calling on the United Nations and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to urgently move to ensure the safety of air navigation and lift the restrictions imposed on Sana’a Airport.
In the same context, the “Entisaf” Organization for Women and Children’s Rights condemned the targeting of the airport, considering it an escalation that undermines de-escalation efforts and deepens the humanitarian crisis.
It affirmed that the attack on the runways deprives patients, travelers, and students of their right to movement and treatment, and constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.
The organization called for an independent international investigation, the prosecution of those responsible for the attack, and action to stop the targeting of civilian facilities and lift the siege on Yemen.
For its part, the Ministry of Transport in the Sana’a government had condemned the Saudi bombardment of the airport, considering it deprives “thousands of patients and travelers of their basic rights to be able to go out for treatment.”
Saudi Arabia had launched a series of raids on Sana’a Airport coinciding with the return of a Yemeni delegation from Iran, a step considered by Sana’a as a declaration of war according to a Foreign Ministry statement, while the spokesman for Sana’a forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, affirmed that it will not go unpunished.