Following the release of the Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) annual report, Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has called on the UK government to put human rights ahead of arms company profits and stop promoting arms sales to oppressive regimes.
As the reports itself points out (Vol 1 para 188), it is a statement of the obvious that vigorous, sustained and public criticism by the British Government of an authoritarian regime’s abuses of basic human rights is likely to be prejudicial to British arms exports success with that regime in the highly competitive international arms exports market, and that the Government should acknowledge this inherent conflict.
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against arms Trade said:
The government has an ethical choice to make. Will it promote human rights and democracy, or will it continue pushing arms sales to some of the most repressive regimes in the world?
The report then concludes that there are over £5.2 billion worth of extant military and dual use licences for arms to countries on the government’s own list of Countries of Concern
including Saudi Arabia, Israel and Pakistan.
The report also highlights arms sales to seven additional countries that it has concerns about arms sales to; including Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Hong Kong and Ukraine – all of which have bought large quantities of arms from the UK.
Andrew continued:
These are all countries with terrible human rights records, and yet they are being courted for arms sales. Bahrain in particular also appears on the government’s own list of
priority marketsfor arms sales. How likely is the UK to act against human rights violations in these countries when it is also profiting from them?
The report concludes (Vol 1 para 144) the Government should apply significantly more cautious judgements when considering arms export licence applications for goods to authoritarian regimes which might be used for internal repression.
Andrew finished:
There is compelling evidence that UK weapons have been used for repression in Egypt, Hong Kong, Bahrain and Kuwait, as well as against the people of Gaza. The only reason we know this is because of the brave work of activists and journalists, yet the government’s response has been business as usual.
The UK government actively promotes arms sales to repressive regimes through its sponsorship and facilitation of arms fairs such as the DSEI, which will be happening in East London this September.
The UK always claims to have some of the most rigorous
and robust
arms control policies in the world, but this is clearly not the case. Campaign Against Arms Trade has proved this point by highlighting the various times that the UK has used this line to excuse arming tyrants. You can see the results on the Rigorous Repetition Tumblr.
ENDS
For further information please contact Andrew at media(at)caat·org·uk or phone 020 7281 0297.
