Geneva- “As the United Nations Human Rights Council prepares for a decision regarding the latest review of the human rights situation in Israel and the UAE, the Council should take effective measure and to consider recommendations to put an end to the ongoing human rights violations committed by both countries, also ending their non-compliance with previous recommendations,” said the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and the International Institute for Rights and Development in a joint statement before the Member States of the Council on Friday.

Israel’s violations of human rights are not limited to the Gaza blockade, arbitrary killing of peaceful protesters at the Israel-Gaza fence, and the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories, but also include the crackdown on human rights institutions, including UN bodies.

A draft law is currently under discussion, providing that anyone who films Israeli soldiers while on duty, even if they commit human rights violations, are subject to jail for up to ten years.

“Member States of the UNHRC must take a serious stand to prevent Israel from passing such a draft,” said the two watchdog groups.

“The United Arab Emirates also commits violations against migrant workers. The country has a systematic policy of torture whether inside the country or outside, such as in Emirati-controlled prisons inside Yemen,” stated both organizations.

While the UAE is proud of the Louvre Abu Dhabi construction, human rights violations -such as forced labor, passport confiscation, non-payment of wages, and deportation as a direct punishment for exercising their right to go on strikes- were committed against migrant workers who have taken part in building it.

Additionally, Euro-Med Monitor and the International Institute for Rights and Development called for investigation into the dozens of testimonies by detainees in Emirati-controlled prisons in Yemen, particularly in Bir Ahmed prison in Aden where detainees are subject to shameful, severe torture and sexual violence, in addition to degrading treatment.

The two organizations called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to come up with concrete recommendations to stop such gross abuses. They called on Israel and the UAE to be “consistent with their prior statements regarding violations by improving their human rights record in their areas of control.