Judgement by the Council of State on ML1 licences

The Court agrees with the claimant’s request for the suspension of certain licences issued by the Walloon regional government for export of arms (ML1 category) to Saudi Arabia. The judgement references the strong and well-supported evidence of serious human rights and IHL violations in Yemen and the involvement of the Saudi National Guard, the recipients of these arms, in the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen. The court finds that, in violation of the 2012 Walloon Decree, the licensing decision makers did not adequately contemplate the clear risk that the technology and military equipment planned for export could be used for internal repression in Saudi Arabia and the commission of serious violations of IHL in Yemen.