On Monday 18 September, Nadia Hardman, refugee expert who coordinated an investigation released in a report in August 2023 for Human Rights Watch (HRW), briefed the committee on her findings.
She shared the main conclusions on alleged crimes against humanity committed by Saudi guards against hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who tried to cross the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border between March 2022 and June 2023.
Udo Bullmann (S&D, DE), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), issued a statement after a discussion on the human rights situation of Ethiopian migrants at the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border.
“The evidence collected by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on the mass killings of hundreds of Ethiopians, including women and children, are outrageous and unacceptable. We learnt that Saudi guards used lethal weapons in a way that seems to be widespread and systematic.
Given the gravity and nature of the crimes, we urge the EU Special Representative for Human Rights to include this issue in the next EU-Saudi Arabia Human Rights Dialogue scheduled in November. We furthermore urge European diplomats in Geneva to take the lead in requesting a UN-backed, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the killings and abuses against migrants and asylum seekers at the Yemen – Saudi Arabia border, including those documented in the HRW report.
These alleged crimes were committed out of sight of the rest of the world. It is our utmost responsibility not to remain silent”, Udo Bullmann added.
