PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
SAUDI ARABIA AND VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW (17 October 2018)

That this House is concerned about Saudi Arabia’s on-going violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law; acknowledges that serious and systematic violations are being committed by all parties to the conflict in Yemen; notes with alarm that since 2015 the Saudi-led coalition has reportedly undertaken 18,000 airstrikes, one-third of which have hit non-military targets, including a school bus in August 2018, and allegedly caused almost two-thirds of reported civilian deaths and almost two-thirds of damaged or destroyed civilian public buildings; is appalled that up to 13 million Yemenis are facing starvation because of the war, referred to by both the UN and EU as the worst humanitarian crisis on earth, including as a result of the offensive by the Saudi-led coalition to take the port city of Hodeidah from Houthi rebels; notes with concern that in Saudi Arabia activists and critics are being silenced with increasing brutality, illustrated by the arrest and detention of more than 60 of its perceived opponents in September 2017, the subsequent arrest of women’s rights activists and, most recently, the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Ankara; and calls on the Government to condemn Saudi Arabia for these violations, and to suspend all arms sales and military support to that country immediately.

Sponsored by:
Ann Clwyd (Labour)