Canada urged to suspend all arms exports to Saudi Arabia
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TORONTO — According to a new report by human rights groups Amnesty International Canada and Project Plowshares, Canada violated international law by selling weapons to Saudi Arabia. The two groups urged You have to suspend all arms exports to Riyadh.
Released on Wednesday (11/8), the report is entitled ‘No Credible Evidence: Export Defect Analysis Canadian Weapons to Saudi Arabia’, accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of violating the Arms Trade Agreement (ATT), an international treaty to which Canada was a backer in 2019. The report said Canadian arms transfers to the Gulf kingdom could be used to commit or facilitate violations of humanitarian law. and international human rights.
Rights groups take note of the data, especially in the ongoing conflict in Yemen. “It has been determined through investigations and expert reports that Canada’s arms exports to (Saudi Arabia) contravene Canada’s legal obligations under the ATT,” the report said.
The war in Yemen broke out in late 2014 when Houthi rebels seized large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The conflict escalated in March 2015 when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates formed a military coalition in a bid to restore the Riyadh-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The ongoing war has pushed millions to the brink of starvation in what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. According to recent UN estimates, at least 233,000 people have died.
“There is persuasive evidence that weapons exported from Canada to KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), including LAVs (light armored vehicles) and sniper rifles, have been diverted for use in the war in Yemen,” the report said Wednesday.
“Given the major risks posed by Canadian arms exports to KSA, Canada should immediately revoke existing arms export permits to KSA and suspend issuance of new ones,” the report added.
