The lawsuit filed via fax Friday by three members of the Green parliamentary faction argues that the ongoing silence of the German government on the sale of 200 Leopard 2 combat tanks to the authoritarian Saudi regime violated the nation`s constitution which bans the sale of weapons to crisis-hit regions like the Middle East.
Germany, which for two decades has declined to sell such heavy weapons to
Saudi Arabia because of concerns over human rights and fears for the security of the Zionist regime, has refused to officially confirm the reports on the multi-billion-euro military agreement citing a secrecy policy on such deals.
Opposition politicians and even members of the ruling center-right coalition parties have lambasted the reported tank sale, particularly in light of democratic uprisings throughout the Middle East.
Critics of the deal say the tanks could be used to crush street protests which is an especially sensitive issue since Saudi Arabian troops played a major role in cracking down on pro-democracy protests in neighboring Bahrain.
(T.A045/H-AK)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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