International accountability mechanisms must be activated, and double standards must be eliminated.
In a briefing today marking Human Rights Day, observed annually on December 10, Mwatana for Human Rights stated that the global state of human rights is at its worst amidst the ongoing international and non-international armed conflicts in several countries. In these conflicts, warring parties—including states, political regimes, and armed groups—continue to perpetrate a wide range of violations, atrocities, and international crimes with impunity.
Mwatana added that the continued grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in countries such as occupied Palestine, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Ukraine, and others experiencing protracted armed conflicts have led to an unprecedented deterioration in human rights situation, both locally in these countries and globally. This decline is exacerbated by absolute impunity and the persistent failure of the international community to fulfill its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights and freedoms, and advancing international justice.
Mwatana emphasized that the warring parties—including states, political regimes, and armed groups— persist in committing a wide range of violations. These include killing and maiming through diverse methods, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, starvation, obstruction of humanitarian aid delivery, gender-based violence, and forced displacement, among others.
Mwatana further noted that ongoing armed conflicts have inflicted widespread destruction on the infrastructure of affected countries. Civilian objects and essential protected facilities, such as hospitals and healthcare facilities, medical teams, schools, educational institutions, bridges, roads, residential neighborhoods, and various service facilities, have been indiscriminately targeted in blatant disregard of the principles and rules of international humanitarian law. These attacks and military operations have resulted in the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of civilians, including children, women, and the elderly.
Additionally, the conflicts have caused severe food insecurity, heightened poverty rates, increased levels of malnutrition and famine, and the spread of diseases and epidemics, including communicable or vaccine-preventable diseases, as seen in Yemen, occupied Palestine, Syria, and other regions. These crises have significantly hindered millions of civilians' access to basic services, including healthcare and education.
In Palestine, the Palestinian people have endured over seven decades of illegal occupation marked by aggressive and unlawful settlement practices. This occupation, led by Israel, is driven by policies rooted in apartheid and racial discrimination, all under the watchful eye of the international community, with little to no substantial efforts to bring it to an end. Meanwhile, Israel continues to persistently disregard various international resolutions.
Today, occupied Palestine, particularly the Gaza Strip, is witnessing one of the most brutal massacres, where thousands of residents, primarily women, children, and the elderly, have been killed. Nearly 2 million Palestinians have been displaced, as acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip persist repeatedly. Starvation remains a method of warfare, and systematic destruction targets homes, properties, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, arbitrary detentions and ongoing assaults against civilians in the West Bank and other areas continue unabated.
In Yemen and Syria, over a decade of conflict has seen the warring parties and international actors involved in the conflicts commit a series of atrocities, violations, and international crimes. These actions have caused immense human suffering, severe crises, and the deaths and injuries of thousands, while displacing millions of residents.
In Ukraine, the Russian-Ukrainian war, which erupted in February 2022, has resulted in a multifaceted humanitarian tragedy. Thousands of civilians have been killed, and millions have been displaced, many of whom remain unable to return safely to their regions and homes. Atrocities continue to be committed daily in Ukraine.
In Sudan, the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which began on April 15, 2023, has been accompanied by widespread violence. Civilians have been killed and injured, while millions have been displaced. The ongoing violence in Sudan and the persistent disregard for international humanitarian law by both sides of the conflict threaten to undermine life in the country.
Libya, Lebanon, and other regions worldwide continue to suffer from ongoing conflicts, along with the associated violations and heinous crimes. These areas endure severe humanitarian crises and various forms of suffering, making the current state of human rights the most deteriorated in decades, with humanitarian tragedies spreading on an unprecedented scale in modern history.
Mwatana for Human Rights stated that the prevailing culture of impunity and the double standards characterizing the international community's response to many of these crises have significantly contributed to the escalation of conflicts. This environment has provided fertile ground for further violations and atrocities, allowing perpetrators to evade accountability. The organization emphasized that the only way to end these violations, atrocities, and the spread of conflicts is by strengthening efforts toward accountability and international justice, eradicating the culture of impunity, and addressing human rights violations fairly and effectively.
Radhyh Al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, stated that the failure to achieve justice and hold human rights violators accountable in conflict-affected countries, including Yemen, occupied Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine, and others, has contributed to the persistence of violations and atrocities in these nations.
Al-Mutawakel added that the responsibility for ending the prevailing culture of impunity lies with the international community, particularly influential states that have, for decades, obstructed efforts to hold perpetrators of atrocities and international crimes accountable. These states have, in many cases, provided protection and support to violators. She emphasized that it is time to end such practices and work toward the promotion of humanity, rights, and freedoms.
It is worth noting that Mwatana for Human Rights launched the Sana’a-The Hague Declaration on November 29, 2024, during a high-level event held in The Hague, Netherlands. The declaration included a set of demands related to achieving accountability, ending the policy of impunity, and promoting international justice. These demands were directed at the international community and human rights bodies, urging them to fulfill their roles and mandates in advancing accountability and justice and curbing the culture of impunity.
Mwatana reiterated its call to the international community, including the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and influential states, to work on establishing independent international mechanisms with a criminal mandate to document and verify human rights violations, collect evidence, and ensure accountability for those responsible, whether states, regimes, or groups. It urged these entities to deliver justice to victims and support the efforts of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), enhancing their roles in achieving accountability and international justice. It also called for compliance with international laws and adherence to the courts' decisions, urging immediate and genuine measures to end the culture of impunity and halt violations and atrocities worldwide.
Mwatana further called on the ICJ and ICC to intensify efforts to ensure accountability and strengthen international justice in cases under their consideration or jurisdiction. It encouraged transparency in proceedings by regularly publishing information and updates on ongoing cases and enhancing mechanisms for cooperation with regional and national courts to share information and expedite litigation processes. It also urged the creation of interactive platforms for states and civil society to discuss significant international cases under consideration by these courts. Additionally, Mwatana renewed its call for the ICC to expand its issuance of arrest warrants to include a larger number of senior officials responsible for severe human rights violations and the gravest international crimes.