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Amnesty calls for arms embargo on Saudi Arabia

Monday, 29 February 2016 7:47 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 29 February 2016 8:51 AM ]

Yemenis look at a hole in the ground following an airstrike by Saudi Arabia in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, February 25, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Amnesty International has urged an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia, which is involved in military aggression against Yemen.

The international human rights organization said in a statement on Monday that it has documented violations of human rights, including possible war crimes, by the warring sides in Yemen ever since Saudi Arabia invaded the country last year.

“Amnesty International is urging all states to ensure that no party to the conflict in Yemen is supplied—either directly or indirectly—with weapons, munitions, military equipment or technology that would be used in the conflict until they end such serious violations,” the group said.

Amnesty also called for guarantees that any “arms transfers to any party to the Yemen conflict” will comply with the international human rights laws and will not be used in Yemen.

The call comes ahead of an Arms Trade Treaty meeting in Geneva later today. The treaty, which entered into force in December 2014, compels countries to set up national controls on arms exports.

On Friday, the Control Arms Coalition also called on all countries joining the upcoming discussions on the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty to stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, saying Riyadh and its allies have been using the weapons for gross violations of human rights and possible war crimes in Yemen.

Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March last year. At least 8,300 people, among them 2,236 children, have been killed so far in the aggression and 16,015 others sustained injuries. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

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