Amnesty International Criticizes Western Arms Sales to Saudi Coalition

Amnesty International criticized arms sellers to the Saudi coalition in the Yemen war, stating that both the coalition and the Houthis may have committed war crimes. In a statement released on Friday, March 23, the organization said that the Saudi coalition has a long list of actions that could be considered war crimes. Lynn Maalouf, the director of research at Amnesty International's Middle East office, stated that there is extensive evidence of 'irresponsible sales' of weapons to the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which has led to widespread civilian casualties in Yemen. She noted that it is not only the United States and the United Kingdom that have sold weapons to this coalition, but also France, Spain, and Italy, which are involved in selling billions of dollars in arms to the coalition. According to her, the sale of such weapons in the Yemen war not only endangers civilian lives but also violates the global arms trade treaty. Both the U.S. and the U.K. are members of the global arms trade treaty, which is based on 'serving regional and international peace, security, and stability, as well as reducing human suffering.' The Saudi-led Arab coalition has sent its air and military forces to Yemen since 2015 to support the Yemeni government against the Houthis. Amnesty International's report states that since then, thousands of people have been killed, and the United Nations has described the situation in Yemen as the worst humanitarian crisis. Amnesty International claims that 36 coalition airstrikes have so far appeared to violate international human rights laws, resulting in the deaths of 513 civilians, which may constitute war crimes. According to this report, 'a total of six thousand people have been killed in this war, ten thousand have been injured, and over twenty million people need humanitarian assistance.' The report adds that airstrikes in August 2017 and January 2018 also indicate that the bombs used were products of American companies 'Lockheed Martin' and 'Raytheon.' For example, the report references the 500-pound (227 kg) laser-guided 'GBU-12' bombs used in airstrikes. Amnesty International also accused the Houthis and other armed groups of violating international laws, emphasizing that some of these actions could be considered war crimes. The organization also accused the Houthis and their opposing groups of shelling civilian areas, especially in January and February of this year in the city of Taiz. The report states that the Houthis hold prisoners without trial and under torture for extended periods in areas under their control. Amnesty International claims that the Houthis sentence defendants to death without a fair trial. The Houthis are a branch of Shiites supported by Iran, who have taken control of large areas of Yemen.