A French investigating judge is responsible for an investigation targeting Mohammed ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, on a possible "complicity in torture" against the backdrop of the war in Yemen, learned on Friday l 'AFP from several sources close to the case. A judicial investigation was opened in October 2019 in Paris against the one who is nicknamed "MBZ", against whom two complaints, one of which with civil party, had been filed when he made an official visit to Paris in November 2018.
"Universal" jurisdiction of French justice for the most serious crimes
Complaints with the creation of a civil party almost automatically make it possible to obtain the opening of judicial information and the appointment of an investigating judge to carry out the investigations. By virtue of its "universal jurisdiction" for the most serious crimes, French justice has the possibility of prosecuting and convicting the perpetrators and accomplices of these crimes when they are on French territory. During his visit to France, on November 21, 2018, Mohammed ben Zayed discussed the situation in the Middle East with President Emmanuel Macron, in particular on the conflict in Yemen, where Abu Dhabi is engaged in a coalition alongside Saudi Arabia against the Houthi rebels, who have occupied the capital Sanaa since 2014.
"My clients are delighted with this openness of information and have high hopes for French justice," reacted Me Joseph Breham, who defends six Yemenis who had filed the complaint with the constitution of a civil party before the dean of the examining magistrates. of the crimes against humanity pole of the Paris court. They denounced acts of torture committed in detention centers controlled by the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates.
MBZ is "likely to have provided the means and instructions for the realization of these offenses"
Mohammed ben Zayed being the supreme commander of the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates, he "is likely to have provided the means and the instructions for the realization of these offenses", the complaint stressed.
The war in Yemen has left tens of thousands of people dead, mostly civilians. In July 2019, the United Arab Emirates, the main ally of Saudi Arabia, decided to reduce its military presence there.