Amnesty International USA Release
Responding to reports that President Trump will attempt to exploit loopholes to continue sending arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE without Congressional approval, Philippe Nassif, the advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International USA said:
“The Trump administration must stop supplying arms to the Saudi-led coalition, which has repeatedly committed horrific violations in Yemen, some amounting to war crimes, devastating the lives of thousands.
“This administration has made clear its desire to sell more weapons without concern for human rights. We know arms manufactured in the United States have been used in deadly strikes against civilians. U.S. munitions have been found in the remains of bombed homes, hospitals and hotels throughout Yemen’s devastating war, killing almost 7,000 people.”
Amnesty International USA is calling on Congress to end U.S support for the Saudi-led Coalition’s conduct in Yemen and demand a pre-delivery notification before any weapons are transferred to Saudi Arabia. Congress should immediately consider measures to halt arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia and other countries that have already demonstrated a record of misusing them in Yemen.
Background:
Since the Saudi-led coalition’s campaign of airstrikes against the Huthi armed group began on March 25, 2015, Amnesty International has documented how all parties to the conflict have repeatedly violated international law. There is extensive evidence that irresponsible arms flows to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition have resulted in enormous harm to Yemeni civilians
