UK government refuses to publish list of airstrikes in Yemen involving civilian casualties
The British government has refused to publish its database supposedly logging civilian casualties from murderous airstrikes in Yemen carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, which is armed by the UK and US.
While the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has listed a staggering 516 potential International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations by the coalition of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the real number is far higher.
Destroyed house in South Sanaa, Yemen. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is intent on maintaining the barbaric House of Saud’s control over the Arab Peninsula. It is suppressing any information that Riyadh or its backers are committing war crimes and avoiding accusations that the UK is violating its own rules against supplying arms likely to be used in violation of IHL.
By Bethany Rielly
THE government’s decision to splurge £550 million on supersonic missiles during the pandemic is an “insult” to Covid-19 patients, NHS staff and key workers, campaigners have said.
Under a multimillion-pound contract announced by the Ministry of Defence today, arms manufacturer MBDA will produce “new-generation” missiles for Britain’s fleet of fighter jets.
Once in operation, the weapons will have a range of more than 80 miles and travel at supersonic speeds, with the MoD boasting of their “unrivalled lethality.”
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said that the decision “emphasises how wrong and how totally inappropriate Downing Street’s priorities are” during the coronavirus crisis.
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Donald Trump has come under criticism for forcing through the last-minute deal before Joe Biden takes over (Getty Images)
The Trump administration is facing legal action over the “rushed” sale of $23bn (£17bn) worth of arms to the United Arab Emirates, amid concern the weapons could be used indiscriminately in the ongoing Yemen civil war.
After the US Senate defeated efforts to block the transfer of advanced fighter jets, drones and munitions to the UAE, the New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs (NYCFPA) has decided to file a lawsuit against the Department of State and secretary Mike Pompeo.
TWENTY twenty was the year that the government renewed arms sales to Saudi Arabia, following a Court of Appeal ban in 2019.
It was a year in which we saw British-made tear gas and “anti-riot” equipment being used as far afield as the US and Greece.
It was also the year in which we learnt of British military and police training for repressive regimes around the world, with training for forces in Hong Kong, Belarus, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and beyond.
At Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) we have been there to challenge them every step of the way.
However, due to the pandemic, like many organisations, we have had to change the way in which we do it.