Watan-Accusations of war crimes and terrorism financing have followed UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed during his recent visit to France, where the French government exerted pressure on the judiciary to prevent his prosecution.
According to French human rights sources, the Paris Court of Appeal definitively rejected two complaints filed in Paris in 2018 and 2021, which accused Mohammed bin Zayed of committing war crimes and financing terrorism during the war in Yemen.
This decision by the French judiciary coincided with Mohammed bin Zayed’s visit to Paris and his meeting with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, during which they attended the signing ceremony of the “UAE-French Framework for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence.”
French Judiciary Drops Case as Bin Zayed Visits Paris
The sources spoke of political pressure exerted by the French government to halt investigations against Mohammed bin Zayed completely, in order to prevent embarrassment should an arrest warrant be issued against him, and to avoid negatively impacting economic investments with the UAE.
On December 4, the investigative chamber ruled that there was no reason to continue the investigations, affirming a similar decision made in March by the chief investigating judge in the crimes against humanity section of the Paris court.
In March 2023, the chief investigating judge in the crimes against humanity section of the Paris court issued an order dismissing a case filed at the end of 2021 by eight Yemenis and the “Legal Center for Rights and Development,” a Yemeni NGO considered close to the Houthis and based in Sanaa.
Yemen War Crimes Complaints Against Bin Zayed Dismissed
The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthis seized vast territories in the north, including the capital, Sanaa. The following year, Saudi Arabia led a military coalition, including the UAE, in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, escalating the war that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Several complaints accused Mohammed bin Zayed of committing war crimes, detailing various offenses, including torture, enforced disappearances, criminal conspiracy, and even financing terrorism.
The complaints against Mohammed bin Zayed were based on documents, testimonies, UN reports, journalistic articles, and UN documentation of the UAE’s support for armed militias to spread chaos and destruction in Yemen.
The chief judge of the section specializing in such crimes in Paris dismissed the complaint on procedural grounds, citing the “Legal Center for Rights and Development”’s lack of legal standing. He also ruled that France does not have jurisdiction over these cases.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Joseph Breham, stated that no appeal was filed and expressed regret over the decision, which he said did not meet the obligations arising from international humanitarian law and human rights.
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