UK Commons Chides Government on Weapons Sales to abusive Regimes as it allows New Weapons Sales to Bahrain

Commons select committee says Arab spring demands a change of policy in dealing with authoritarian regimes

Fears of human rights abuses prompt UK to revoke arms export licenses
Nick Hopkins – The Guardian – 12 July, 2012

The UK must change its arms export policy to prevent weapons and other military equipment being sold to authoritarian regimes because the Arab spring has shown the system is fundamentally flawed, a Commons report warns.

A review of export controls also highlights how the Foreign Office has admitted it is now concerned about allowing the sale of certain specialist equipment to Argentina, which has included counter-submarine hardware, as well as components for military radar and combat aircraft.

The report of the joint committees on arms export controls includes previously unpublished details about what has been sold abroad over the past two years.

It also highlights how an unprecedented number of export licences had to be revoked because of fears that British equipment could be used for human rights abuses in the Middle East and north Africa. In all, 158 arms licences had to be withdrawn.

The committee says this is “demonstrable evidence that the initial judgments to approve the applications were flawed”. Although restrictions have been introduced, MPs question whether exports to certain countries in the region, including Bahrain, can be justified.

Under the government’s own guidelines, licences cannot be issued if there is a clear risk that the equipment might provoke conflict or could be used to facilitate internal repression.

Records for last year show 97 licences were granted for sales to Bahrain for equipment including assault rifles, sniper rifles, body armour, gun silencers, shotguns, pistols, weapons sights and small arms ammunition.

“Bahrain is self-evidently a very sensitive country, given the very serious human rights violations that took place there,” said Sir John Stanley, the select committee chairman.

“There have been very serious human rights violations involving doctors and nurses. We have picked out those [licences] which we think are most questionable on grounds for use for internal repression.”

The committee says there is a compelling case for the Foreign Office to include the 28 countries on its watchlist for human rights abuses as part of a review of arms export policy. These nations include Russia, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe.

“The government should extend its arms export policy review to include authoritarian regimes and countries of human rights concerns,” said Stanley. On Argentina, Stanley said the views of the Foreign Office reflected concern in the government about the UK’s “previous Falklands experience, where British ships were tragically sunk and many people lost their lives”. He added: “The only explanation I can put is that the government is concerned about the policies they have been following hitherto on arms export licences to Argentina.” …more