The great silence masking a growing tragedy
- By Sumantra Maitra
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 24, 2015
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Three civilians, including two Indian citizens, were killed when a stray missile fired from Yemen struck a Saudi Arabian border city. |
Three civilians, including two Indian citizens, were killed when a stray missile fired from Yemen struck a Saudi Arabian border city. India's Consul General in Jeddah B.S. Mubarak confirmed the deaths in the attack near a museum on the edge of Najran. Another Indian was killed in shelling in the border region around half a year back.
While it highlights the impotence of great powers, including India to save their own citizens in the most devastating but least talked of all ongoing wars of the Arab Spring, it also highlights the "do nothing" attitude of the West, and hypocrisy regarding human rights violations. This can be termed as impotence and lack of influence at best, or deliberate compliance at worst.
A recent Amnesty International report highlighted that U.K. dealings with the Saudi government violate dozens of national, European Union, and International laws, as the Saudis continue to kill civilians in Yemen in its regional conflict against Shia Houthi rebels allegedly backed by Iran.
The British Independent newspaper reported Britain had issued more than 100 arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia since the airstrikes began in March, while Amnesty claimed licenses for exports to Saudi Arabia were worth more than ?1.75 billion ($2.61 billion) between January and June alone.
Legal experts of humanitarian agencies insist the U.K. has continued the trade knowing full well the weapons are used against civilians. "This legal opinion confirms our long-held view that the continued sale of arms from the U.K. to Saudi Arabia is illegal, immoral and indefensible," Kate Allen, Amnesty International U.K. Director was quoted as saying.
She also claimed clear evidence that a British missile was used to hit civilian targets like glass factories in Yemen, which violates international law, and makes Britain an accomplice of Saudi Arabia. According to the Guardian newspaper, Saudi bombing was a factor in 60 percent of the 4,493 civilian casualties this year.
A similar disregard for human rights is noticeable in Turkey, while the West sits silent. The latest video doing the rounds on the Internet shows the murder of Dilek Dogan at her home by Turkish security forces, just because she was a Kurd who was protesting against the current government in Turkey.
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