News

Anti-arms trade activists demonstrated today against UK arms exports to Bahrain outside the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) in Victoria Street. BIS is the government department which granted licences to export military equipment to Bahrain and which houses UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), the government's arms promotion unit.

In the year after the revolution in Egypt began in January 2001, those calling for democracy were put through military trials, tortured and killed. Yet the UK continued arming the regime. In January 2012 we delivered a petition of over 7,000 signatures to the Foreign Office before joining a vigil outside the Egyptian Embassy,

On Wednesday 25 January, anti-arms trade campaigners will present a petition at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) calling on the UK government to end arms sales to repressive regimes. The day marks the first anniversary of the beginning of the popular uprising in Egypt which resulted in the overthrow of the Mubarak government despite

Supporters at Westminister Magistrates Court Anti-arms trade campaigner Chris Cole arrived at Westminister Magistrates Court ahead of time to defend himself against a charge of criminal damage outside the DSEI arms fair. He was accompanied by supporters who held a small demonstration outside the court. Fellow anti-arms trade

Anti-arms trade campaigners say that the publication of the Thirteenth Annual Report on Exports Control of Military Technology and Equipment, covering 2010, raises many questions about the reliability of the data provided and on EU commitment to make arms export control effective, say anti-arms trade NGOs

2012 will see the UK government send arms trade missions to countries who use violent repression against protestors. Countries include traditional customers such as Saudi Arabia and Libya as well as less prominent markets, including Kazakhstan and Nigeria. Mission delegations include arms companies executives and are organised by UK Trade & Investment Defence &Security Organisation

Courts throughout the UK are prosecuting individuals whose only crime is to refuse to fill out the 2011 census form because of the involvement of arms giant Lockheed Martin. The refusers face a fine and possible jail sentence for their actions. Lockheed Martin is based in the US and was contracted to process census data

CAAT welcomes the report of the International Development Committee on Financial Crime and Development, which castigates arms giant BAE Systems for its unwillingness to pay £29.5 million in reparations to the government of Tanzania, as mandated by a UK court.