United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan arrives to attend the G20 Summit, at Ngurah Rai International airport in Denpasar on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. (Credit: Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/pool/AFP)
France's top criminal court on Wednesday rejected attempts to reopen an investigation into the president of the United Arab Emirates over his alleged complicity in torture in Yemen.
The Court of Cassation confirmed a lower-court decision to close a probe into Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, which began after a complaint by a human rights group and six Yemenites in 2018.
The plaintiffs had appealed against the decision to drop the case against "MBZ" because he benefits from diplomatic immunity.
The court ruled that there were "no grounds to accept an appeal" in a written decision seen by AFP on Wednesday.
UAE forces have joined Saudi Arabia in the controversial conflict in Yemen, where the two Gulf allies are battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The complaint against MBZ focused on alleged acts of torture committed in UAE-controled detention centers on Yemeni territory.
It alleges that MBZ, as commander in chief of UAE forces, is likely to have provided the "means and orders for these violations to be carried out."
The Court of Cassation confirmed a lower-court decision to close a probe into Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, which began after a complaint by a human rights group and...