- 37 people executed in Saudi Arabia last night
- Reports show executions have doubled under Mohammed bin Salman
- UK has licensed at least £4.7 billion worth of arms to the regime since March 2015
Last night, 37 people were executed in Saudi Arabia. Many of them were killed following trials that relied on confessions extracted through torture. Human rights groups report that the number of executions has doubled since Mohammed bin Salman became Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince, who many world leaders greeted as a ‘moderate’ and progressive force, has also overseen the war in Yemen, which has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
Despite its atrocities, the UK Government has continued to arm and support the dictatorship. The UK has licensed £4.7 billion worth of arms to the Saudi regime since the war in Yemen began in 2015, including:
- £2.7 billion worth of ML10 licences (Aircraft, helicopters, drones)
- £1.9 billion worth of ML4 licences (Grenades, bombs, missiles, countermeasures)
In reality the figures could be a great deal higher, with most bombs and missiles being licensed via the opaque and secretive Open Licence system.
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said:
Last year political leaders welcomed Mohammed bin Salman to London, Washington and other major capitals. Since then we have seen another year of bombing in Yemen, which has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and now this appalling mass execution.
One thing that the Crown Prince has been able to rely on is the uncritical political and military support of Theresa May, Jeremy Hunt and their colleagues. It is long past time for them to stop the arms sales and end their endorsement of this terrible regime.
ENDS
For further information please contact Andrew at media(at)caat·org·uk or call 020 7281 0297.
