According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the concept of transitional justice refers to “the full range of processes and mechanisms associated with society’s attempts to come to terms with a legacy of widespread past abuses to ensure accountability, achieve justice, and foster reconciliation.”
To apply this concept in Yemen as part of a future peace agreement, Yemeni human rights organizations need to operate in an environment that guarantees their security and safety, as the documentation carried out by these organizations will serve as the basis for implementing transitional justice in the country.
However, the reality on the ground does not allow this. In areas controlled by the Houthi rebels they impose strict limitations on organizations, including banning access to affected regions and imposing severe penalties on activists.
In other regions, such as those controlled by the Internationally Recognized Government internal conflicts and political interests serve as barriers to the work of these organizations, with some facing threats that erase any opportunity to establish a context where transitional justice can be implemented in Yemen.
Despite these challenges, human rights organizations strive to represent the voices of victims and contribute to building sustainable peace, while simultaneously calling for the enhancement of transitional justice as an essential step towards a more stable future.
Since 2014, Yemen has been experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with ongoing conflict among various parties destroying the social and economic fabric and threatening basic human rights.
While conflicting parties endeavor to achieve their political and military objectives, transitional justice and peace remain distant hopes for civilians who have suffered tremendously under daily violations.
This is where the role of international human rights organizations becomes crucial in supporting efforts to ensure the implementation of transitional justice and peace.
However, these efforts face complex challenges, especially given the instability in communication channels between the international community and human rights defenders in Yemen.
In this context, human rights organizations that are part of the Justice for Yemen Pact Coalition for Yemen are focused on amplifying voices advocating for human rights and transitional justice, despite structural and political obstacles.
During the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council, under agenda item 10 regarding the enhancement of technical capacities of civil society organizations, Angela Al-Maamari, a human rights defender and member of the Justice for Yemen Pact Coalition, made a statement highlighting the urgent need for international action to address severe human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen.
Within the session, the Coalition, which includes ten Yemeni civil society organizations, shed light on the acute deterioration of the human rights situation in the country, criticizing the international community’s inaction in addressing ongoing violations.
The Coalition called on countries to intensify efforts to release all arbitrarily detained individuals and enhance support for civil society, emphasizing that merely strengthening technical capacities is not sufficient to address the crisis.
Al-Maamari stressed the importance of establishing an independent international investigation mechanism focused on criminal accountability to end the culture of impunity dominating the scene.
The Yemeni community bears the responsibility of fostering a culture of transitional justice and accountability, as achieving peace necessitates addressing the roots of conflict and ensuring justice for victims and affected communities. This requires efforts that begin with ordinary individuals and extend to international human rights organizations, especially those advocating for accountability for violators.
The issue of Yemen today is fundamentally a human rights one, which must be addressed through a local and international consensus around the principles of transitional justice and peace.
Achieving this necessitates concerted efforts and sincere collaboration among all parties tirelessly working to create an environment that promotes human rights and supports transitional justice.
The path to achieving transitional justice and peace in Yemen, while balancing both, remains long and complex. Nevertheless, the efforts of human rights organizations and civil society alliances, such as the Justice for Yemen Pact Coalition, play a pivotal role in the humanitarian struggle amid this intricate conflict.