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UK Activist Attempts to Arrest Saudi General for Yemen War Crimes

UK Activist Attempts to Arrest Saudi General for Yemen War Crimes
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Local Editor

A peace activist attempted to apprehend Saudi General Ahmad al-Asiri in London on Thursday, citing war crimes in Yemen as the primary reason for his citizen's arrest.


The peace activist, Sam Walton, stopped General Asiri while he was attempting to walk into a conference he was scheduled to speak at in London.

Walton, who attempted the citizen's arrest - which is an arrest carried out by a regular citizen and not a law-enforcement official - said that Asiri shouldn't be welcomed in the UK.

Al-Asiri is an adviser in the Saudi defense ministry, and a spokesman for the now two-year-long aggression against Yemen, which had claimed at least 10,000 lives and devastated the country. He is in London to speak at the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank.

The UN had warned of a catastrophe in Yemen, where some 18 million people need food assistance and face starvation.

According to a statement released by Walton and Reverend Daniel Woodhouse, "The UK government has blood on its hands and we need to do everything we can to stop the transfer of weapons and show these sales are illegitimate. By providing weapons and support Britain is deeply complicit in Saudi war-crimes, and it's vital that we bring an end to this immoral, abhorrent trade."

A lifelong pacifist, Walton confirmed via his Twitter account on Thursday evening that he did not attack General al-Asiri or engage in any violent act, despite claims by pro-Saudi regime outlets.

"Asiri represents a regime that has killed thousands in Yemen and shown a total contempt for international law," Walton said.

He added, "Asiri shouldn't be welcomed and treated like a dignitary, he should be arrested and investigated for war crimes."

The Saudi major general arrived at what was billed as a private roundtable with egg stains on his suit. He told the seminar he was delayed by "people who did not differentiate between protesting and attacking".

Last November, al-Asiri claimed that Saudi forces had not used cluster bombs - only for the Saudi-led coalition to later admit they had been used in Yemen.

Since the war in Yemen began, the UK has licensed $4.1bn worth of arms to the Saudi government, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade [CAAT].

Andrew Smith, of CAAT, said that Asiri "is a mouthpiece for a devastating bombing campaign that has killed thousands of civilians and destroyed vital infrastructure," and as such "should not be getting invited to address parliamentarians and think tanks to whitewash the atrocities that are taking place."

"The voices that need to be heard are those of Yemeni people who are victims of a humanitarian catastrophe - not those that are inflicting it. If the UK is to play a positive role in bringing peace then it must end its complicity and end the arms sales."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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