Entisaf Organization: Continued Blockade Violates Human Rights, Crime Against Yemeni People
The Entisaf Organization for Women and Children’s Rights condemned the continued blockade imposed on the Yemeni people, along with the accompanying hostile policies and measures that have exacerbated the suffering of civilians, particularly women and children, turning their lives into a humanitarian tragedy by depriving them of their most basic rights.
In a statement received by the Yemeni News Agency (SABA), the organization explained that the Yemeni people have been subjected to a comprehensive aggression and blockade for nearly 12 years, resulting in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Airports have been closed, ports restricted, travel and trade disrupted, and economic, health, and living conditions have deteriorated, with poverty, unemployment, and malnutrition rates soaring.
The statement pointed out that millions of Yemenis have been deprived of benefiting from their national resources, which should have been used to provide salaries, basic services, and improve living standards. He affirmed that the suffering endured by the Yemeni people constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which prohibits the use of starvation and collective punishment against civilians. He noted that the continued restrictions on the movement of people and goods, and their resulting catastrophic humanitarian consequences, exacerbate the suffering of civilians and prolong the humanitarian crisis.
The statement emphasized that the fundamental rights of the Yemeni people, foremost among them the right to a dignified life, freedom of movement, access to national resources, and access to food, medicine, and basic services, are inherent and inalienable rights that no party may infringe upon, confiscate, or obstruct under any pretext.
It further noted that ending the suffering of Yemenis requires lifting all restrictions that affect their daily lives and enabling them to fully exercise these rights. The organization demanded a complete end to the blockade, the reopening of airports to unrestricted civilian flights, the reopening of ports and the facilitation of transportation, trade, and travel, enabling the Yemeni people to benefit from their oil and gas resources to provide salaries and basic services, and working towards a humanitarian solution to the prisoner exchange that would end the suffering of thousands of families.
It also stressed that achieving justice for the Yemeni people begins with acknowledging the extent of the injustice they have suffered as a result of the Saudi aggression and blockade, taking practical steps to end the blockade, ensuring the protection of civilians and respect for their fundamental rights, holding accountable those responsible for the violations that have caused immense human suffering for many years, preserving the dignity of the Yemeni people, and respecting their legitimate rights guaranteed by international laws and conventions.