Ministerial Corrections On Saudi Arabia And War Crimes

EDM number 569 in 2016-17, proposed by Roger Godsiff on 19/10/2016.
Categorised under the topics of Arms control, Middle East, Military operations and Parliamentary procedure.

That this House notes with great concern the Government's decision to issue corrections to six Ministerial Statements on whether Saudi Arabia committed war crimes in Yemen just as Parliament was about to rise for the summer recess; condemns the timing of these statements as an attempt to avoid scrutiny and accountability; further notes that these corrections acknowledge that previous Government statements that Saudi Arabia was not violating human rights or committing war crimes in Yemen were incorrect; believes that the Government either knew or ought to have known that these statements were incorrect; is concerned that Ministers may have inadvertently misled the House; is extremely worried that, despite this acknowledgement by the Government that Saudi Arabia is in fact committing war crimes by targeting civilians and non-military infrastructure in Yemen, the UK is continuing to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia; remains concerned that these weapons may be used to commit war crimes in Yemen by the Saudi regime, which is a dictatorship with no regard for democracy or human rights; notes that continuing to sell arms to the Saudi regime both enables and condones violence against civilians; further believes that the UK's standing in the world is diminished by this action; and strongly urges the Government to urgently reconsider its arms export policy to Saudi Arabia in light of these corrections and to prioritise the safety of civilians in Yemen and the UK's reputation in the world over the profits of arms companies.

This motion has been signed by a total of 31 MPs.