LONDON: Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) argued that the decision to continue to license military equipment for export to the Gulf state was unlawful.
the group said export licences should not have been granted as there was a clear risk that the arms might be used in a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
Judges at the Court of Appeal in central London ruled on Thursday that “the process of decision-making by the government was wrong in law in one significant respect”.
Announcing the court’s decision, Master of the Rolls Sir Terence Etherton, sitting with Lord Justice Irwin and Lord Justice Singh, said the government “made no concluded assessments of whether the Saudi-led coalition had committed violations of international humanitarian law in the past, during the Yemen conflict, and made no attempt to do so”.
Sir Terrance said the ruling “does not mean that licences to export arms to Saudi Arabia must immediately be suspended”.
(Agencies)
Comment