Granting amnesty to individuals responsible for war crimes and human rights abuses in Yemen, as part of the peace agreement, would be against international law, warned the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay.

In a statement, Pillay said,

"I have been closely following the events in Yemen, particularly the very contentious debate about an amnesty law to be presented to Parliament shortly,"

"International law and the U.N. policy are clear on the matter: amnesties are not permissible if they prevent the prosecution of individuals who may be criminally responsible for international crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and gross violations of human rights."

"Based on information we have gathered, there is reason to believe that some of these crimes were committed in Yemen during the period for which an amnesty is under consideration. Such an amnesty would be in violation of Yemen's international human rights obligations,"

This week saw hundreds of thousands of protesters taking to the streets of Sanaa, demanding that the out-going president, Ali Abdullar Saleh face justice for the Yemeni government's brutal clamp down on peaceful protest.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh, signed an agreement in November, relinquishing power to his vice president,  Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi, with immediate effect.

The agreement allowed Saleh many face-saving measures, including the retention of his title and certain privileges until new elections are held in three months. It also granted him immunity from prosecution.