UK activists in court bid to ban arms sales to Saudi Arabia

Human rights campaigners in the UK have begun a legal battle to overturn a High Court judgement that permits the British government to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade [CAAT] were in court on Thursday to appeal against last July's decision to allow the export of arms from the UK to Saudi Arabia.

"Thousands of people have been killed since the verdict last July, and the humanitarian situation has only got worse, yet the arms sales have continued," said CAAT activist Andrew Smith.

"We believe that these arms sales haven't just been immoral, they have also been illegal," Smith added.

From the archive: Britain's arms sales to Saudis 'legal', despite Yemen atrocities, court rules

CAAT has brought the case against parliamentarian Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade, for granting export licences amid extensive allegations of war crimes by Saudi Arabia in its southern neighbour.

"The law is clear: where there is a clear risk UK arms might be used in the commission of serious violations of international law, arm sales cannot go ahead," said CAAT's lawyer Rosa Curling.

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a military intervention in Yemen in 2015 with the aim of rolling back Houthi rebels who had seized the capital, and restoring the government to power.

Since then more than 10,000 people have been killed and more than 50,000 wounded.

The UK has licensed £4.6 billion ($6.3 billion) worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia since its "intervention" began.

The war has created what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with both sides, particularly the Saudi-led coalition, criticised for indiscriminate bombing.

While Iran is said to back the Houthi rebels, the UK and US have continued to supply arms to Saudi Arabia, drawing strong and sustained criticism from rights groups due to alleged war crimes committed by the Saudi-led military coalition.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has defended the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen, arguing their involvement "came at the request of the legitimate government of Yemen and is backed by the United Nations Security Council".

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