MPs to Investigate Use of British Weapons by Saudi Arabia in Yemen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – British MPs launched an investigation into whether British-made arms are being used by Saudi Arabian forces in a widely-criticized military campaign in Yemen.
The Committee on Arms Export Control will probe whether export control rules have been broken – after the United Nations warned of a “humanitarian disaster” and widespread attacks on civilians in the assault.
The inquiry will “examine if weapons manufactured in the UK have been used by the Royal Saudi Armed Forces in Yemen, if any arms export licence criteria have been infringed and discuss what action should be taken in such cases,” the committee says.
Minsters have confirmed they have signed off the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia but say the Saudi Arabians have assured them they are not committing war crimes using British equipment.
Aid group Médecins Sans Frontières has accused Saudi Arabia of bombing multiple hospitals, while others have warned of deadly strikes on weddings and schools.
In a three-month period late last year figures released by the business department showed the sales of bombs and munitions to Saudi Arabia by British firms had increased from £9 million to over £1 billion.
All arms exports from the UK are actively sanctioned by the government, which issues licenses for deals after scrutinising them.
In December last year the government was threatened with legal action by campaigners and lawyers for not blocking the flow of guns and bombs to the region.
Lawyers at law firm Leigh Day said it was likely the weapons were being used to “commit serious breaches of international humanitarian law”.
The European Parliament is the latest body to call for a full arms embargo on Saudi Arabia, following MPs on the House of Commons International Development Committee who also backed a suspension of sales.
The Campaign Against the Arms Trade welcomed the MPs’ inquiry and said the sale of weapons “should not have been allowed in the first place”, the Independent reported.
“It is one of the most repressive regimes in the world and has unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe on Yemen, yet it has enjoyed uncritical political and military support from the UK,” Andrew Smith, of CAAT, said.