Court fight over ‘immoral’ arms sale

Campaigners are set for a legal challenge over the UK Government’s sale of arms to Saudi Arabia amid allegations the weapons are being used to commit “war crimes” in Yemen.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is challenging a High Court ruling given in July 2017 that concluded the granting of licences for the export of arms was “lawful”.

The group says UK fighter jets and bombs sent to the Gulf state are being used in the conflict in Yemen in violation of international humanitarian law. At a hearing starting yesterday, CAAT urged judges at the Court of Appeal in London to overturn the ruling.

A number of human rights campaign groups are intervening in the case, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Rights Watch UK and Oxfam.

CAAT’S legal team were highlighting two investigative reports by the UN’S panel of experts on Yemen, which concluded that a coalition led by Saudi Arabia has committed violations of international humanitarian law.

Speaking ahead of the hearing, Andrew Smith of CAAT, said: “Uk-made weapons have played a central role in the four-year Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen.

“The results have been catastrophic, with tens of thousands of people killed and vital infrastructure destroyed.

“We believe that these arms sales are immoral.”