We will prosecute bin Salman, bin Zayed before ICC : Nobel Peace laureate Tawakkol Karman
Yemen, Sept 04: Yemen’s Nobel Peace laureate and activist Tawakkol Karman has said that the latest UN panel report on war crimes in Yemen constitutes a legal basis to prosecute Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Last week a UN mandated expert panel issued a report which said that members of the Yemeni government, Arab coalition forces particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and Houthi militants have “committed acts amounting to war crimes” in Yemen.
On Saturday the Saudi-led Arab coalition accepted responsibility for last month’s deadly air strike on a school bus that killed 40 children in the governorate of Saada, north of Sanaa.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Karman said the report has revealed a series of “horrific and unprecedented violations,” adding that the report “reflects only a small fraction of what the Houthis or the Arab coalition have done in Yemen”.
“Although the report is too small compared reality, it contained different types of crimes and named senior perpetrators,” she said.
Karman has denounced the continued sale of arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE despite reports which revealed that these weapons are used to kill Yemenis, stressing that those who sell arms to these countries contribute directly and indirectly to the killing of the Yemeni people.
“The Yemeni people reject the coup led by Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen and also reject the treacherous coalition that came to occupy Yemen and steal its wealth led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE which did not come to the country to support legitimacy” Karman said.
Courtesy: www.middleeastmonitor.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
