18 April 2018, Rome

Italian liability for human rights violations in Yemen: are authorities and arms manufacturer complicit in deadly Saudi-coalition airstrike?

Rome
18 April 2018, 11:00 am

Associazione della Stampa Estera in Italia
Via dell’Umiltà, 83/C - Roma

For more than three years Yemen is being ravaged by an armed conflict: Houthi forces are fighting troops loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, and proxy forces supported by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Yemen’s civilian population is facing a widespread humanitarian crisis while all parties to the conflict have repeatedly violated human rights. Airstrikes by the Saudi-led military coalition have been found by the United Nations to be in violation of international humanitarian law.

Regardless of the reported human rights violations and the devastating impact of the ongoing armed conflict on the population, Italy continues to export arms to members of the Saudi-led military coalition, in full contrast with Italian law 185/1990, which prohibits arms exports “to countries engaged in armed conflict”, and also in contrast with Italy’s obligations under the EU rules on arms export control and the International Arms Trade Treaty unanimously ratified by the Italia Parliament.

An upcoming legal intervention by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), Yemen-based Mwatana Organization for Human Rights and Italian group Rete Disarmo, will tackle the role of Italy in these arms exports and will discuss the criminal liability of the Italian authorities and companies involved.

Further details on the legal intervention will be presented at the press conference with:

Bonyan Gamal, Mwatana Organization for Human Rights
Francesco Vignarca, Rete Italiana per il Disarmo
Linde Bryk, ECCHR
Francesca Cancellaro, Gamberini Law Firm

The speakers will reflect on the conflict in Yemen, Italy’s role in the arms export to members of the Saudi-led military coalition to be used in Yemen, and Italy’s responsibilities thereto.

The event will be held in English and Italian. Consecutive translation is available.

We look forward to welcoming you to the press conference and kindly ask you to register at segreteria@disarmo.org until 17 April 2018 (please note that no confirmation will be sent).

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