UN urged to open Blame game over Ukraine investigation into Yemen atrocities

More than 60 international organisations have urged the United Nations General Assembly to establish an investigative body to gather and preserve evidence of serious human rights violations during Yemen’s seven-year conflict, including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, say the matter is urgent, particularly after the UN Human Rights Council voted in October to shut down its own investigation into atrocities in Yemen.

The Group of Eminent Experts had reported that potential war crimes had been committed by all sides. The Genevabased council’s vote was a stinging defeat for Western nations, and a victory for Russia, China, Bahrain and other countries.

Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, and much of the northern part of the country. This forced the internationally recognised government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, backed by the United States, to try to restore President Abed RabboMansour Hadi to power.

Despite a relentless air campaign and ground fighting, the war has deteriorated largely into a stalemate, and has spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The organisations said the rights council vote was the result of an aggressive lobbying campaign by Saudi Arabia, backed by the United Arab Emirates, a key coalition partner, and other allies. ‘‘The international community cannot stand by and allow that vote to be the last word on accountability efforts for abuses and war crimes in Yemen,’’ they said.

Amnesty International secretarygeneral Agnes Callamard said parties to the conflict, including the Saudis and Houthis, ‘‘have committed atrocities with impunity, and there is seemingly no end in sight for this war’’. This was why have to act now’’.

The general assembly and the UN Security Council have previously taken similar action against widespread human rights abuses.

In December 2016, the assembly created an ‘‘International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism’’ to collect, preserve and analyse evidence and promote accountability for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Islamic State extremists in Syria.

In September 2017, the security council established an investigative team to support Iraqi efforts to collect and preserve evidence of possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Isis extremists, to be used in domestic courts or in investigations in third countries.

The UN Human Rights Council established a similar investigative mechanism for Myanmar following a military crackdown against Rohingya Muslims and allegations that government security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned houses, amounting to possible crimes against humanity and genocide.

Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard

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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Russia to abandon plans for a potential invasion of Ukraine, calling for a peaceful resolution to an intensifying showdown between Moscow and the West.

Blinken’s warning in talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow could face dire consequences over Ukraine, and Lavrov’s assertion in turn that Nato is threatening Russian security, underscored the obstacles to defusing the brewing crisis.

Their meeting in Stockholm, on the margins of a European cooperation conference, comes as the Biden Administration threatens ‘‘high-impact’’ economic retaliation if Russia launches an offensive against Ukraine.

But the US has stopped short of promising military action in response to what it says is Russian invasion planning.

‘‘The best way to avert a crisis is through diplomacy,’’ Blinken, seated beside Lavrov, told reporters at the beginning of a half-hour meeting. ‘‘If Russia decides to pursue confrontation, there will be serious consequences.’’

The US says a Russian incursion into Ukraine, nearly eight years after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea kicked off a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, would undermine global principles of sovereignty and threaten security in Europe.

Blinken spoke a day after Nato nations wrapped up talks in the Latvian capital, Riga, that officials said cemented an alliance position in support of Ukraine.

Nato countries, however, provided few details of what consequences they would unleash if Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Ukraine is not a Nato member but has voiced its desire to join the security bloc.

Russian leaders have denied an invasion plot, and instead accuse the West of pushing weapons and troops into areas on Russia’s border.

‘‘We . . . do not want any conflicts,’’ Lavrov said. ‘‘No-one can guarantee their own security at the expense of the security of others. Nato’s extension ... will infringe on our security.’’

Earlier, Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, once again condemning Russia’s massing of troops and weaponry and promising support in seeking a diplomatic denouement. Kuleba asked partner nations to prepare a new package of deterrence measures.

The US has provided military support to Ukraine, including weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles.

Biden Administration officials have said they are looking for ways to expand support to countries on Nato’s eastern flank.

In eastern Ukraine, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic told Russian state TV yesterday that he could not rule out asking Moscow for help if Kyiv used force in that part of the country.

‘‘Certainly, we count on our own forces, but considering that Ukraine has been inviting external forces more and more, which we clearly see, and the number of exercises with the United States and Nato countries this year has grown compared to last year, and the plans for next year envision another substantial increase [in the number of joint exercises], it’s going to be tough,’’ Denis Pushilin said.

‘‘There is seemingly no end in sight for this war.’’