London High Court Rejects Request to Cancel Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

The London High Court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit from human rights activists who claim that British-sold weapons to Saudi Arabia are being used in violation of international law in Yemen. According to Reuters, the Campaign Against Arms Trade had asked the London High Court to revoke the permission for the sale of British weapons to Saudi Arabia, including bombs, fighter jets, and other munitions. This group believes that the Saudi government is using these weapons in the Yemen war contrary to international law. Reuters reports that in a United Nations experts' report examining sanctions and the Yemen crisis, a copy of which was seen by the agency in January, it is stated that "attacks by the Saudi-led coalition may constitute war crimes." The Saudi government has denied these allegations. Since March 2015, coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia have been fighting in support of the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi against Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran and control large areas of northern Yemen and the capital, Sana'a. According to United Nations statistics, around 10,000 people have been killed and more than 40,000 injured as a result of military attacks by both sides. In October of last year, over 100 people were killed due to the bombing of a mourning ceremony in Sana'a by Saudi-led coalition aircraft. Many hospitals and other service centers and infrastructure in the country, including port facilities, have been destroyed or damaged. The Campaign Against Arms Trade argues that issuing licenses for the export of British weapons to Saudi Arabia, which is one of the major customers of British-made weapons, is illegal. However, the London High Court stated in its ruling that "the claimant's request for judicial review of this case has been rejected." The court, which reviewed most of the evidence and arguments of the government behind closed doors, stated that the British government has been in active contact with Saudi Arabia regarding how its weapons are used by the Saudi armed forces and that Saudi Arabia's response "to consider international human rights standards has been positive." The London High Court emphasized in part of its statement that "Saudi Arabia has been and is sincerely loyal to international humanitarian standards, and there is no serious likelihood of violations of international law in various forms that would necessitate suspending or halting the export and sale of arms to Saudi Arabia." This judicial authority added that "the British government has access to more accurate and extensive information compared to the resources relied upon by the claimants." However, Human Rights Watch stated that the court's view, which suggests that human rights activists do not have access to firsthand information or have never closely observed the events of the Yemen war, is incorrect. The Campaign Against Arms Trade also announced that it will appeal this ruling. This organization described the London High Court's ruling as "very regrettable." In this context, the U.S. Senate narrowly approved part of the arms deal with Saudi Arabia, stating that "the U.S. is reducing arms sales to Saudi Arabia" and supporting a billion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia while requesting increased pressure on Saudi Arabia regarding the coalition's attacks in Yemen. The U.S. approved the sale of over one billion dollars in arms to Saudi Arabia, and the European Parliament called on the Union to impose an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia.