France must halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia: Amnesty International

Amnesty International has once again called on France to suspend its arms sales to Saudi Arabia, due to Riyadh’s war crimes in Yemen and the display of its disrespect for human rights.

 

Amnesty International has once again called on France to suspend its arms sales to Saudi Arabia, due to Riyadh’s war crimes in Yemen and the display of its disrespect for human rights.

Director of Amnesty International France’s Program for Responsibility, Yves Prigent, said on Tuesday that a number of serious human rights violations, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, have been observed since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen in 2015.

Amnesty International France has long been calling on France to halt arms sales to the Saudis, on account of Paris being a signatory of the Arms Trade Treaty, which regulates the international trade in conventional arms.

France is one of the five biggest arms exporters to Saudi Arabia in past years, Amnesty International said, in the same category as the United States and Britain. It sells firearms, parts, ammunitions, artillery and maintenance services.