Judgement of the High Court of Justice

The High Court of Justice dismiss Campaign Against Arms Trade’s (CAAT) claim for judicial review of the the Secretary of State’s refusal to suspend export licences for the sale or transfer of arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia for use in the conflict in Yemen, and the Secretary of State’s decision of 9th December 2015 and continuing decision to grant new such licences. It finds that the open and closed evidence demonstrates that the Secretary of State was rationally entitled to conclude that there was no clear risk that there might be serious violation of IHL such that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia should be suspended or cancelled under Criterion 2(c). It finds that the closed material provides valuable additional support for the conclusion that the judgements made by the Secretary of State were rational.