UK-made missile hit civilian target in Yemen, say human rights groups

The Guardian ^ | November 25, 2015 | Peter Walker and Richard Norton-Taylor

[sukhoi-30mki]

Human rights groups say they have uncovered definitive proof a UK-made cruise missile was used to destroy a civilian target in Yemen in September and have called for Britain to end arms sales to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting a bloody campaign against rebel forces there.

Such a use of the missile, made by Marconi and sold to Saudi Arabia during the mid-1990s, was “depressingly predictable”, said Amnesty International, which conducted the investigation alongside Human Rights Watch.

According to research at the scene and interviews with witnesses, the groups say the missile was used on 23 September to destroy a ceramics factory in a village west of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. The factory appeared to have no military purpose, Amnesty said in a statement.

As such the strike, which killed one person, was seemingly in violation of international law and contradicted British government claims that any use of UK weapons by Saudi-led forces was done lawfully, Amnesty said. There had not apparently been an investigation into what happened, it added.

Amnesty has previously urged Britain to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia, given what the organisation describes as an “appalling disregard” for civilian lives by a Riyadh-led coalition which is battling Yemeni Houthi rebels of the Zaydi sect, who are widely seen as being supported by Iran.

Last month, the group said it had found evidence of apparent war crimes in connection with 13 air strikes around the north-eastern Saada region, which killed about 100 civilians, including 59 children and 22 women.

The confirmed use of a British-made missile in an apparently civilian attack was not a surprise, said Kate Allen, the director of Amnesty UK. “This was depressingly predictable,” she said. “Amnesty has repeatedly warned that UK-made weapo

[sukhoi-30mki]

The PGM-500 on a UAE Mirage-2000

[cripplecreek]

There are no civilians in islam according to islam itself.

Men are warriors and women are to produce warriors. Children are either future warriors or future warrior producers.

[americanparatrooper]

Here we go, a single cruise missile hits one claimed (civilian) target and the worlds socialist demand an end to arming the aggressor!

Russia is bombing entire city blocks and towns into rubble with fuel air bombs that kill everybody! NOT A WORD FROM THE SOCIALIST demanding Russia stop bombing civilians!

This is why so many Americans are just turned off from this bull shit and refuse anymore to listen to the cry babies and the socialist crying about the bombing. Were are the socialist demanding the terrorist stop their indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians? Not a word out of their pie holes!!!!!!!

Human rights Groups are just a bunch of socialist pushing a socialist agenda anyway they can!!!!!

[rawcatslyentist]

They never complain when they hit Israeli civilians.

[SkyDancer]

Like blaming Remington for the bullets used in some drive by shooting.