UK court rejects petition calling for judicial review of arms sales to Saudi Arabia

London’s High Court rejects a bid for a judicial review of the UK government’s decision to renew arms sales to Saudi Arabia that could be used in the war in Yemen.

A pair of judges at the court dismiss the case brought by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), after hearing arguments earlier this year.

The UK-based NGO accuses the government of contributing to breaches of international law and the world’s largest humanitarian disaster in Yemen, where conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives in recent years.

But the judges side with the British government, concluding there has been “continuing rationality” in a risk assessment performed by officials before restarting arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2020.