ANCILE Avocats French law firm filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the use of an army of mercenaries trained in the UAE and sent to participate in the ongoing war in Yemen.
The war in Yemen has torn the country apart since March 2015. The Saudi-led coalition has committed war crimes according to many international human rights sources (UN, HRW and Amnesty International): from bombing hospitals, to indiscriminate attacks and alleged mass torture.
In the period between March 2015 to August 30, 2017, civilian casualties were documented to be at least 5,144 persons killed and more than 8,749 injured. Of those killed and injured, 1,184 and 1,592 were children, respectively.
Information was acquired confirming that in May 2015 the UAE sent mercenary troops, with nationalities from Australia, South Africa, Colombia, El Salvador, Chile and Panama, to participate in the war.
There have been numerous calls to refer the case of Yemen and the horrific crimes committed there to the ICC, but there have been two obstacles: the refusal of the Security Council; and the fact that Yemen is not a member of the ICC, nor are any of the coalition countries involved in the war. However, the participation of mercenaries who belong to member states of the ICC, poses an obligation upon the ICC to open an investigation.
In this context, the lawyer Me Breham said: “UAE did not want to get its own hands dirty, so it employed foreigners to do its dirty work. This has opened a breach in the wall of impunity in Yemen. The ICC must seize this opportunity. We cannot look away this time.”
This complaint is an opportunity for the ICC to put an end to impunity for crimes committed in Yemen, as well as to do its part in stopping the war and save innocent lives which are constantly lost under the bombings and imposed siege.
Comment. Who were the Australians involved? Are they still involved? What was there role? What was their former rank in the ADF ? Did they receive approval of the Australian Government?…John Menadue
John Menadue is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Pearls and Irritations. He was formerly Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Ambassador to Japan, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and CEO of Qantas.
Comments
4 responses to “JOHN MENADUE Why are Australian defence correspondents so quiet about complaints to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on the use of Australian and Latin American mercenaries by UAE in the war against Yemen (Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK)”
thank you for exposing Australias (covert, i.e. unpublicised) involvement in this terrible humanitarian disaster
and, why is it happening? what do Saudi Arabia (and Israel) gain from any sort of victory/cessation of bombing, killing, starving, etc?
Hi, Australia’s alliance with the US (and in turn her allies) brings many benefits. But the cost of being in an alliance is that we lose objectivity and impartiality.
While the alliance with the US has undoubtedly brought many benefits in the past, I often think that at some stage in the future, Australia is better off following New Zealand, Sweden or even Switzerland, to pursue an independent foreign policy.
Alliances are good when they are inclusive; but alliances are dangerous when they become exclusive. The alliance with the US has long become exclusive vs inclusive, offering protection and benefits only to allies, but threatening to non-allies.
Hindmarsh’s involvement in the activities in Yemen has been well circulated to Julie Bishop and her staff on numerous occasions with no interest or action having been taken obviously creating no concerns to them that such a man with an Australian passport and his group is engaged in these activities in Yemen.
The UAE and the UK, USA and Israel have been engaged for quite some time in bringing this poor country to its knees and in making it a controlled state of oil-rich Saudi Arabia. All part of the master plan, Iran being next on the list, driven this time by Israel and its 400 + nuclear warheads. Even though the UN is fully aware of the actions, the numbers of deaths and the humane disaster ahead, it has succumbed to USA pressure and failed to make its voice heard.
Australia’s efforts to assist the citizens of Yemen after the constant bombings of schools and hospitals has been dismal as it becomes an even more controlled lapdog of the USA.
Makes one ashamed to be an Australian
“[Mike Hindmarsh] reports directly to the Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi, he’s obviously right at the top,” he told 7.30.
“Mike Hindmarsh has brought in a lot of his own men. There are dozens, we don’t know exactly how many, but there are dozens of Australians that are involved in command positions within the Presidential Guard.”
The UAE Presidential Guard, the unit that General Hindmarsh is listed as commanding, is reported to be operating on the ground in Yemen.
via ABC
There is no way they could not have got some sort of approval from the Australian government….