
Radhya al-Mutawakel
Chairperson and Co-Founder, Mwatana for Human Rights (website)
twitter: @Ralmutawakel
email: ralmutawakel [at] mwatana [dot] org
Chairperson and Co-Founder, Mwatana for Human Rights (website)
twitter: @Ralmutawakel
email: ralmutawakel [at] mwatana [dot] org
Middle East | harm to civilians - casualties, human rights, development
Radhya al-Mutawakel is a human rights defender and the Yemeni co-founder and chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, an independent organization working to defend and protect human rights in Yemen. Mwatana is a Yemeni Human Rights NGO that advocates for human rights through the verification and documentation of violations, provision of legal support to victims, lobbying for accountability, as well as awareness raising and capacity building. Mwatana has received several awards and has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Al-Mutawakel and Mwatana's recent recent work has focused on documenting alleged human rights abuses by all parties to the current conflict in Yemen, including by the United States, the Saudi/UAE-led coalition and the Houthi forces. She has briefed the UN Security Council, U.S. Congressional committees, and many international forums on the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Yemen. In 2019, Time magazine chose al-Mutawakel as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Recent Publications:
Radhya al-Mutawakel is a human rights defender and the Yemeni co-founder and chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, an independent organization working to defend and protect human rights in Yemen. Mwatana is a Yemeni Human Rights NGO that advocates for human rights through the verification and documentation of violations, provision of legal support to victims, lobbying for accountability, as well as awareness raising and capacity building. Mwatana has received several awards and has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Al-Mutawakel and Mwatana's recent recent work has focused on documenting alleged human rights abuses by all parties to the current conflict in Yemen, including by the United States, the Saudi/UAE-led coalition and the Houthi forces. She has briefed the UN Security Council, U.S. Congressional committees, and many international forums on the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Yemen. In 2019, Time magazine chose al-Mutawakel as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Recent Publications:
- Interview ‘We are caught in limbo, neither at war nor at peace, with state institutions nearly collapsed’, December 3, 2023
- Briefing before the UN Security Council in the open debate “Wars in Cities: protection of civilians in urban settings,” January 25, 2022.
- "Expert Q&A – Beyond Rhetoric: How Should the Biden Administration Support Human Rights and Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa?" Project on Middle East Democracy, June 17, 2021.
- "‘Shall I Take You Back to War? You Know Exactly What War Means.’," The Nation, March 18, 2021.
- "Yemen: First bombs, soon a coronavirus epidemic," Aljazeera, April 7, 2020.
- "Africa must help end the war on its doorstep in Yemen," Mail & Guardian, September 17, 2019.
- "Withering Life: The Human Rights Situation in Yemen 2018," Mwatana for Human Rights, July 2019.
- "Britain has a crucial role in stopping the war in Yemen," Evening Standard, May 8, 2019.
- "Have world leaders really got the will to bring peace to Yemen?" The Guardian, February 16, 2019.
Publications from Mwatana
- "Tragedy until further notice: The Human Rights Situation in Yemen 2022," November 5, 2023
- "The Struggle for Justice: The Situation Of Impunity and Accountability Avenues For Violations Commited in Yemen," June 12, 2023
- "A Country Falling Apart: Human Rights Situation in Yemen 2021," November 10, 2022
- "Not a single body in one piece: How civilian harm from explosive weapons in Yemen calls for immediate action," December 13, 2022
- "Arms sales: France and the United Arab Emirates, partners in the crimes committed in Yemen," December 14, 2021