UK government accused of 'putting profit before lives' in case aimed at stopping arms exports to Saudi Arabia
The government has
been accused of “putting profit before people’s lives” ahead of the start of a
High Court case aimed at stopping the UK from exporting arms to Saudi Arabia. The case is being
brought by the group Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which claims there
is “overwhelming evidence” that British-made jets and bombs are being used by
Saudi-led forces to violate international humanitarian law in Yemen.
CAAT says more than
10,000 people have been killed since a Saudi-led coalition began fighting
Houthi rebels in 2015, and UK-made weapons have helped create “a
humanitarian catastrophe”.
CAAT is being backed
by other groups being represented at the hearing, including Human Rights Watch,
Oxfam and Amnesty International, whose strategic litigation director Lucy
Claridge said outside court: “It is time for the UK Government to stop putting
profit before people's lives.
“By selling billions
of pounds worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, ministers are signing a death warrant
for the people of Yemen. "Across Europe,
several countries have stopped selling arms to Saudi Arabia because they know
it goes against their legal obligations and have seen the devastation they are
causing.” CAAT is seeking to
overturn a 2017 High Court ruling in which it was denied a
judicial review of the weapons exports. CAAT had argued the
government was breaching its own export licensing rules, which prevent sales
when there is “a clear risk that the arms might be used in the commission of a
serious violation of international humanitarian law”.
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But the 2017 judges
said the issue of arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen “was the subject
of intense, genuine concern and debate” by government officials who had better
access to information than NGOs. Secret evidence played
a significant part in the 2017 case and the court delivered a closed judgment
as well as a public ruling. In their public ruling, the judges acknowledged that in
one February 2016 email, senior civil servant Edward Bell said he had
briefed Sajid Javid, then the minister in charge of trade, to
the effect that: “My gut tells me we should suspend [the arms sales]. This
would be prudent and cautious given the acknowledged gaps in knowledge about
Saudi operations.”.. read more:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-yemen-legal-case-high-court-bombing-weapons-trade-human-rights-violations-a8861471.htmlsee also
