UK’s Saudi weapons sales unlawful, Lords committee finds

Report finds UK arms ‘highly likely to be cause of significant civilian casualties in Yemen’

The UK has supported Saudi-led involvement in Yemen since the latter’s civil war began in March 2015. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA

The UK is on “the wrong side of the law” by sanctioning arms exports to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen and should suspend some of the export licences, an all-party Lords committee has said.

The report by the international relations select committee says ministers are not making independent checks to see if arms supplied by the UK are being used in breach of the law, but is instead relying on inadequate investigations by the Saudis, its allies in the war.

It describes the humanitarian plight of Yemenis as “unconscionable”.

It is the first unanimous report from a parliamentary committee describing Saudi arms export sales as unlawful, and comes ahead of an imminent high court appeal by campaigners to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia on the grounds they are in breach of humanitarian law.

Read more of this story

Visited 237 times, 1 visit(s) today

Comments are closed.