Arms trade treaty needed to stop violent crackdowns on civilians

Image: Still from YouTube showing vehicles that appear identical to those manufactured by UK based NMS International, in use in Libya to crackdown on protestors.

DearFriends

 

Over the last few days we've been appalled by the violent and totally unacceptable crackdowns on peaceful protesters in Libya, Bahrain and several other countries across the Middle East & North Africa. And there's evidence emerging that the UK may have licensed security equipment to the Libyan authorities which has been used to crush protests across the country.

 

Next weeks there will be negotiations at the UN on the proposed Arms Trade Treaty. The need for strong international export controls to prevent weapons, munitions and related security equipment from ending up in the hands of known human rights abusers is more vital than ever. 

 

Take action now to pressure the UK Government to press for a strong and effective Arms Trade Treaty

 

We have long campaigned for a strong and effective control on the deadly trade in weapons. These licenses for Libya should never have been granted in the first place given the reams of credible information we and others have supplied to the UK government relating to the Libyan government’s extreme intolerance of all forms of dissent.

 

We are also calling for a comprehensive arms embargo and an immediate suspension of any further shipments of equipment that pose a real danger of being used to violently suppress peaceful protests in Libya, and a halt to similar transfers to Yemen, Bahrain and other protest-hit countries in the region. 

 

 Please take action now

 

Thank you.

Kristyan Benedict
Campaign Manager - Crisis Response & Country Priorities