Lawyers file for 'war crimes' ICC probe into Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen

Lawyers for the survivors and families of victims of the war in Yemen are submitting evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday for three alleged war crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition.

Guernica 37, an international justice law firm headquartered in London, has submitted evidence to the ICC of incidents that led to the deaths of more than 140 Yemenis in total.

The lawyers hope the ICC will investigate the alleged crimes and issue international arrest warrants against military leaders, The Telegraph reported.

The incidents include a 2018 airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on a school bus that killed 34 people and an October 2016 missile attack on a funeral gathering that killed at least 100 people.

The last incident is the alleged torture and murder of civilians in southern Yemen by Colombian mercenaries under the command of a US private military company contracted to the UAE. 

"At the time of the attack the Coalition claimed they would investigate and hold the perpetrators to account. Of course, they did no such thing," said Almudena Bernabeu, cofounder of Guernica37.

"As the court of last resort, victims and families have no choice but to call on the International Criminal Court to ensure justice is done."

Conflict in Yemen flared in 2014 when Houthi insurgents seized the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention to prop up the government the following year. 

At least 233,000 people have died in the war that followed, the UN said in December 2020.

The coalition denies that it has targeted civilians in its airstrikes.