Shame: Australia has recently done another arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Now our government is turning a blind eye as the country continues its airstrikes over Yemen, hitting schools, hospitals, and even funerals.
A brutal war has plunged Yemen into chaos, trapping families, and children in a hopeless situation. We can’t be complicit in this atrocity while our tax dollars fund this.
The Dutch government has already banned sales to Saudi Arabia on humanitarian grounds. And this week, more and more U.S senators are raising objections to Trump’s military exports to the country.
We need SumOfUs members like you to come together and pressure our government to stop the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia and protect human lives
Malcolm Turnbull: history is watching you. Put an end to the arms trade with Saudi Arabia and help end the atrocities in Yemen!
This year the Australian Defense Department has approved four military export licenses to Saudi Arabia -- without releasing information on the types or quantities of arms sold.
The United Nations recently reported at least 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict, warning the Saudi-led coalition attacks could amount to war crimes.
“Prime Minister Turnbull has approved military sales to Saudi Arabia when he should be using Australia’s leverage to [pressing them] to end unlawful airstrikes in Yemen,” said Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights Watch.
A new UN treaty has made what our government is doing illegal -- but ministers are breaking it with these new deals.
If the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain all tightened up arms exports because of the Yemen crisis, why hasn’t our government?
Almost 50,000 SumOfUs members stood up against this in the UK. Let’s do the same here -- by turning it into a huge media outrage we can force our ministers to get their heads out the sand.
If enough SumOfUs members like you stand up for what’s right, we can win.
Malcolm Turnbull: stop turning a blind eye to the atrocities in Yemen. No more arms sales to Saudi Arabia!
More information
Sydney Morning Herald. 25 March 2017.
Human Rights Watch. 18 April 2017.
