NIHR Chairs Arab Meeting Condemning Iranian Attacks and Calls for International Investigation
The Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions held, on Monday evening, its 26th extraordinary General Assembly meeting via videoconference, chaired by Eng. Ali Ahmed Alderazi, Chairperson of the Network and Chairperson of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) in the Kingdom of Bahrain, to discuss the “Iranian attacks on Arab states” from a legal and human rights perspective.
The meeting brought together representatives of Arab national institutions and experts in international humanitarian law. In his remarks, Eng. Alderazi stressed that the recent military escalation, including attacks targeting several Arab states and resulting in damage to residential areas and civilian casualties, constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and a breach of the absolute prohibition on the use of force as stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations.
He expressed the Network’s full solidarity with the affected states, underscoring the importance of unifying the Arab position and strengthening cooperation among national institutions in monitoring, documentation, and the protection of the most affected groups, as well as supporting diplomatic efforts and safeguarding state sovereignty and security.
For his part, Dr. Mohammed Al-Kuwari, Vice Chair of the National Human Rights Committee in the State of Qatar, affirmed that these attacks constitute a fully-fledged act of aggression and a serious violation of peremptory norms of international law, given their targeting of civilian infrastructure and the direct threat they pose to international peace and security. He also highlighted their wide-ranging impact on human rights, particularly the rights to life, security, and health.
The meeting concluded with a set of urgent recommendations, most notably enhancing the readiness of national institutions to monitor and document violations, preparing periodic reports for international mechanisms, developing rapid response mechanisms, and unifying Arab human rights efforts.
Participants also called on the international community to initiate an independent international investigation into the attacks, convene a special session of the Human Rights Council to address means of protecting civilians, and activate international accountability mechanisms to ensure that perpetrators do not escape punishment.
The recommendations further emphasized the need to adopt national measures to protect civilians, strengthen emergency and humanitarian response plans, ensure the continuity of essential services, and provide psychological and social support to those affected.
The meeting concluded by stressing that the recent attacks pose a serious threat to regional security, and that the protection of civilians is a shared responsibility requiring effective Arab and international coordination, with humanitarian and human rights considerations placed at the forefront of any crisis response.
