Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes
Israeli media outlet: Security incident reported in the Gaza Strip
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson: No new date or venue has been set for the meeting between Araghchi and Witkoff, and no negotiations will take place until the outcome is guaranteed
Palestinian platforms: Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the occupation police
Palestinian platforms: The IOF detonated a booby-trapped robot east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Syrian Defense: We call on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation

London High Court examines legality of UK resuming Saudi arms sales

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 31 Jan 2023 20:06
  • 7 Shares
4 Min Read

An NGO tells a UK court that the government should have identified the Saudi coalition's aggression on Yemen as a violation of international law.

  • x
  • UK Saudi Arabia
    Demonstrators raising a banner that says "Stop arming Saudi Arabia" (CAAT)

London's High Court on Tuesday examined the legality of the UK government's decision to renew sales of arms to Saudi Arabia that could be used in the war on Yemen.

The case has been brought by the UK-based NGO, Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which accuses the government of contributing to breaches of international law and the world's largest humanitarian disaster in Yemen, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The judicial review is expected to last until the end of the week.

Demonstrators stood outside the court Tuesday morning and hung a banner on the gates saying: "Stop arming Saudi Arabia" and "Solidarity with Yemen."

Ben Jaffey, CAAT's lawyer, told the court that the UK government should have identified the Saudi coalition's repeated bombings of civilians and other non-military targets as violations of international law, breaching rules on arms sales.

The NGO launched the legal challenge after Britain announced in the summer of 2020 that it was resuming arms sales to Saudi Arabia, claiming that there was no clear risk that weapons would be used in a serious violation of international humanitarian law. 

Over 25,000 airstrikes, mostly by #SaudiArabia and made possible by the UK's Royal Air Force, have resulted in the death of almost 9,000 civilians.#Yemen #YemenCantWait pic.twitter.com/vjiutMxB5h

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 11, 2023

The UK government acknowledged there had been "small breaches", but called these "isolated cases", Jaffey said, describing this as "absurd".

He detailed numerous Saudi bombings aimed at civilians, including a bombing that targeted a Doctors without Borders (MSF) hospital and killed about 10 people in 2016.

A single violation is enough for arms sales to come under question, Jaffey considered.

Related News

Supreme Court clears fast-track deportations to random third countries

China-US trade falls 10.4% in H1-2025 to $289.36 billion

Read more: Report shows scale of destruction by UK-armed strikes in Yemen

UK government cares "more about profit than war crimes"

Ahead of the hearing, CAAT media coordinator Emily Apple accused the UK government of caring "more about profit than war crimes and the deaths of civilians."

"These arms sales are unlawful and they should be stopped," she told AFP.

The NGO initially won its case against the government in 2019, when the Court of Appeal ruled that the UK's licensing of arms sales was unlawful and that the 

It also said the government had failed to assess properly whether the arms sales violated its commitments to human rights and ordered it to "reconsider the matter."

It is noteworthy that while serving as International Trade Minister, Liz Truss conducted a review and announced in 2020 that export licenses would restart, claiming that Riyadh "has a genuine intent and the capacity to comply with IHL (international humanitarian law)", despite "isolated incidents".

UK one of leading suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia

CAAT said the UK government has licensed sales to Riyadh of weaponry including combat aircraft, guided bombs, and missiles, with a published value since 2015 of £7.9 billion ($9.8 billion).

It said the UK is one of the leading suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia, along with the United States.

  • UK has reportedly sold at least £7.9 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia
    The UK has reportedly sold at least £7.9 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia.

Martin Butcher, peace and conflict advisor at the charity Oxfam, highlighted that Saudi airstrikes "are responsible for a larger proportion of the attacks" on civilians in Yemen.

"It's essential that the legality of UK arms sales is examined and arms sales must be immediately stopped," Butcher stressed.

Human Rights Watch researcher Niku Jafarnia said in a statement Tuesday that "violations are not simply 'isolated incidents' as the government claims," pointing out that "UK weapons have been used in some of these violations with total impunity."

Read more: UK protecting mercenary government, aggression: Sanaa

  • United States
  • Riyadh
  • Yemen
  • UK
  • Saudi Arabia

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS