BACKGROUND
On April 28, 2015, a coalition of 34 local Yemeni non-governmental organizations (the "Complainants") submitted a complaint to the International Criminal Court in the Hague naming as defendants the leaders of the governments of the member states participating in the Saudi-led Coalition. The complaint details the crimes that were committed against the people of Yemen by Saudi Arabia and its Coalition and which include crimes of: 1) aggression, 2) war, 3) genocide, and 4) crimes against humanity. Seeking billions of dollars in compensation and damages, the complaint is being supplemented by substantiated information on a periodic basis.
STATUS OF COMPLAINT
31 December 2015 - Local Yemeni NGOs Submit Substantiated Information
Local Yemeni NGOs supplemented the Court today with substantiated information on the crimes that were committed during the period from 1 August - 31 December 2015.
7 September 2015 - Local Yemeni NGOs Overcome the Jurisdictional Hurdle
The ICC responded to the local Yemeni NGOs' arguments regarding the jurisdictional question posed by the Court and agreed to have the Prosecutor expeditiously analyze all the claims to decide whether there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation.
30 July 2015 - Local Yemeni NGOs Submit Substantiated Information
The coalition of 34 non-governmental organizations who make up the Complainants in the case that was submitted to the International Criminal Court on 27 March 2015 supplemented the Court today with substantiated information on the crimes that were committed during the period from 28 April - 30 July 2015.
7 July 2015 - Local Yemeni NGOs Submit Response to Jurisdictional Question
Local Yemeni NGOs submitted their response to the jurisdictional question posed by the ICC. The Complainants argued, among other points, that the crimes being committed are under the jurisdiction of the Court and that pursuant to the text of Article 15 Paragraph 1 of the Rome Statute the Prosecutor "may initiate investigations proprio motu on the basis of information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court.”
2 July 2015 - ICC Questions Jurisdiction Over Crimes in Yemen
The ICC responded to the local Yemeni NGOs questioning the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the crimes being committed in Yemen. The Court found that based on the information currently available with it, none of the preconditions for jurisdiction were satisfied with respect to the conduct described in the initial Complaint. Accordingly, the Court stated that the allegations appear to fall outside the jurisdiction of the Court and that the Prosecutor has confirmed that there is not a basis at this time to proceed with further analysis.
28 April 2015 - Local Yemeni NGOs Submit Substantiated Information Supplementing the Initial Communication to ICC
The coalition of 34 non-governmental organizations who make up the Complainants in the case that was submitted to the International Criminal Court on 27 March 2015 supplemented the Court today with substantiated information on the crimes that were committed during the period from 26 March - 28 April 2015.
27 March 2015 - Local Yemeni NGOs Submit Initial Communication to ICC
One day after the start of the war on Yemen, a Coalition of 34 Yemeni NGOs submitted a letter of Complaint to the ICC expressing their concern about the commission of crimes by the Saudi-led Coalition in its conduct of an illegal war of aggression.