IPAN (SA) PRESS RELEASE
AUSTRALIAN ARMS SALES TO SAUDIS AND UAE IGNORE HUMAN RIGHTS
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS YEMEN WAR IS WORLD’S WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
PROTEST MAJOR PARTY’S INDIFFERENCE
IPAN (SA) will hold a protest outside the Liberal Party (SA) HQ at 104 Greenhill Rd. Unley on Wednesday 8th May from 4 – 5 pm. ……….and
ALP (SA) HQ at 141 Gilles St. Adelaide on Wednesday 15th May from 4 – 5 pm.
(The Coalition promotes, whilst the ALP is silent about such arms sales).
The issue is Australian arms sales to the barbaric Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirate dictatorships, during their murderous war against Yemen.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Yemen has at least 10 of its 25 million people on the brink of starvation, and many tens of thousands infected by deadly diseases, especially cholera. Children with malnutrition are particularly susceptible.
The suffering of Yemen results primarily from the 4-year-long Saudi sea- and land blockade which stops most food and medicines from entering the country. Despite this, Australia has conducted joint naval exercises with the Saudi navy, in the same seas where the blockade is enforced.
Despite a cease-fire supposedly in place, the Saudi’s continue a murderous bombing campaign, killing 22 children recently. Australian arms sales are supposed to adhere to Australian human rights principles, routinely violated by buyers Saudi Arabia and the UAE: the recently sales of EOS remote-weapons systems may be used in Yemen in the future, or more likely to further repress the people of those countries. The government awarded EOS A$ 36 million for their “efforts”. Either way it makes a mockery of human rights claims by Australia. IPAN (SA) calls for an end to such sales, and a review of the whole Australian drive to become a top-ten global arms seller.
Contact: Stephen Darley 7329-8542 or stoifan@adam.com.au