We write to highlight key human rights concerns we hope you will address during your forthcoming visit to Yemen. We welcome the Security Council’s decision to visit Yemen as it continues its transition toward democracy and rule of law.
The Obama administration has taken few steps to provide greater transparency and accountability in conducting targeted killings, intensifying concerns both in the US and abroad about the lawfulness of these attacks.
We welcome the strong outcome of the April 29 Special Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic. The resolution's call for an investigation of the brutality used to silence peaceful dissent sends an important message that the violent suppression of pro-democracy movements will not be tolerated and that perpetrators of human rights abuses will be held accountable. We commend the United States for its leadership in obtaining such a robust HRC response to this crisis.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Open Society Foundations, and World Vision write to President Obama regarding US implementation of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008, and specifically, the failure of your administration to fulfill its pledge to secure concrete progress by the governments of Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), (South) Sudan, and Yemen in ending their use of children as soldiers.
An appropriate program of military and economic assistance could help the Yemeni government counter the threat posed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) while advancing the rights and aspirations of its people. Unless it leverages necessary reforms in Yemen, however, such assistance may facilitate continued violations of human rights and play into AQAP’s strategy of converting grievances
A group of NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, writes to express deep disappointment with President Obama's decision to grant blanket national interest waivers and allow all forms of US military assistance to Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan, and Yemen, despite their continued use of child soldiers in violation of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 (Title IV of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act).
In connection with your upcoming visit to Yemen, I am writing to share our concerns and recommendations regarding the humanitarian situation of civilians affected by the armed conflict between Huthi rebel and government forces in the north of the country.
