British government's arms sale to Saudi Arabia ruled lawful

Campaign Against Arms Trade says it will appeal decision, laments violations of humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen

A UK court ruled Monday that British government arms sales to Saudi Arabia are legal, in a case that relied in part on secret evidence.

The British group Campaign Against Arms Trade brought the case to the High Court, saying British bombs and fighter jets were being used to fuel violence in Yemen, where a Saudi-led war against Houthi rebels has killed more than 10,000 people since 2015.

The deals are worth billions of pounds to the British arms industry.

Some of the evidence in the case was presented in secret on national security grounds.

Two High Court judges ruled that Britain’s international trade secretary acted “rationally” in concluding that there was no “clear risk” of violations of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition.

Yemenis attend the funeral of members of the same family on October 8, 2016 a day after they were killed in a reported airstrike by Saudi-led coalition air-planes that hit their house in Bajil in the western province of Houdieda. (AFP PHOTO / STRINGER)

The Campaign Against Arms Trade said it plans to appeal Monday’s judgment.

“This is a very disappointing verdict, and we are pursuing an appeal,” Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said in a statement. “If this verdict is upheld then it will be seen as a green light for government to continue arming and supporting brutal dictatorships and human rights abusers like Saudi Arabia that have shown a blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.

“Every day we are hearing new and horrifying stories about the humanitarian crisis that has been inflicted on the people of Yemen,” he added.

“Irrespective of this ruling, the UK and other governments should end their shameless arms supplies to Saudi Arabia,” said Amnesty International’s head of arms control and human rights, James Lynch, in a BBC report.

“They may amount to lucrative trade deals, but the UK risks aiding and abetting these terrible crimes,” he said.

Yemenis stand amid the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in a village near Sanaa, Yemen, April 4, 2015. (photo credit: AP/Hani Mohammed, File)

A spokesperson for the UK government said, “We welcome this judgment, which underscores the fact that the UK operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world.”

The government said that exports would be under “careful review” to meet the standards of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, the BBC reported.