Charges of War Crimes and Terrorism Financing Pursue Mohammed bin Zayed in France
Mohammed bin Zayed Faces War Crimes and Terrorism Financing Allegations in France
UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed was pursued by allegations of war crimes and terrorism financing during his recent visit to France, where the French government reportedly pressured the judiciary to prevent legal action against him.
According to French human rights sources, the Paris Court of Appeal has definitively rejected two complaints filed in 2018 and 2021, accusing Mohammed bin Zayed of war crimes and financing terrorism in the Yemen war.
This judicial decision coincided with Mohammed bin Zayed’s visit to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and attended the signing ceremony of the “UAE–France Framework for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence.”
Sources indicated that the French government exerted political pressure to halt investigations against Mohammed bin Zayed, aiming to avoid diplomatic embarrassment if an arrest warrant was issued and to prevent any negative impact on economic investments with the UAE.
On December 4, the investigative chamber ruled that there was no reason to proceed with the investigations, reaffirming a similar decision issued in March by the chief investigative judge in the Paris Court’s division for crimes against humanity.
Previously, on March 13, the chief judge of the crimes against humanity division had dismissed a lawsuit filed in late 2021 by eight Yemeni plaintiffs and the Legal Center for Rights and Development, a Yemeni NGO based in Sanaa, considered close to the Houthis.
The Yemen conflict erupted in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized vast areas in the north, including the capital, Sanaa. In 2015, Saudi Arabia led a military coalition, including the UAE, in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, escalating a war that has killed hundreds of thousands.
Several lawsuits accused Mohammed bin Zayed of war crimes, citing various offenses such as torture, enforced disappearances, criminal conspiracy, and even terrorism financing.
These complaints were based on documents, testimonies, UN reports, journalistic investigations, and UN documentation of the UAE’s support for armed militias to spread chaos and destruction in Yemen.
The chief judge of the Paris division specializing in such crimes rejected the complaint on procedural grounds, citing the Legal Center for Rights and Development’s lack of legal standing and ruling that France lacked jurisdiction over these cases.
Joseph Breham, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, stated that no appeal was filed, expressing regret over the decision, which he said fell short of obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
