USA set to sign Arms Trade Treaty

Loading

US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to sign the Arms Trade Treaty at the UN General Assembly. US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to sign the Arms Trade Treaty at the UN General Assembly.

© STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

This is a milestone towards ending the flow of conventional arms that fuel atrocities and abuse. The USA is the world’s largest arms dealer, but has so far had a mixed record of suspending arms supplies on human rights grounds.

Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International

Tue, 24/09/2013

Following reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry will sign the Arms Trade Treaty on behalf of the USA on Wednesday morning, Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General said:

“This is a milestone towards ending the flow of conventional arms that fuel atrocities and abuse. The USA is the world’s largest arms dealer, but has so far had a mixed record of suspending arms supplies on human rights grounds.

“We now need to see this commitment by the US – and the 86 other countries that have signed the Arms Trade Treaty – matched by action. They must implement the Treaty and bring to an end the supply of weapons to countries where they would be used to commit or facilitate genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other serious human rights violations.

“The tragic situation in Syria underlines the horrific human cost of the reckless global arms trade. The Arms Trade Treaty is the opportunity to prevent such human suffering in the future. Governments must seize this once in a lifetime opportunity. The world is now waiting for China and Russia to match the US commitment.”

Amnesty International has campaigned since the early 1990s to achieve robust, legally binding global rules on international arms transfers to stem the flow of conventional arms and munitions that fuel atrocities and abuse. The organization believes that the Arms Trade Treaty represents a significant step towards this goal and provides a firm foundation to better regulate the international flow of weapons.

The ATT prohibits states from transferring conventional weapons to countries when they know those weapons would be used to commit or facilitate genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.

The Treaty also obligates all governments to assess the risk of transferring arms, ammunition or components to another country where they could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Where that overriding risk is real and cannot be mitigated, states have agreed the transfer will not go forward.


Related Articles

Revelación cartas confirman cooperación de la UE en la violación de DD.HH de emigrantes en Libia

Loading

Varias cartas hechas públicas confirman la cooperación necesaria de organismos de la UE en la detención de refugiados en alta mar por parte de la Guardia Costera de Libia, contraviniendo las resoluciones judiciales del máximo tribunal comunitario

Migrants. There must – be – a better way

Loading

Shipwreck in Pylos. Up to 500 people are still missing from a migrant boat that sank off Greece. no women and children were among the survivors. A poem by Séamas Carraher

Los torturadores norteamericanos de Irak son alumnos de los franceses en Argelia

Loading

Entrevista a Henri Alleg, periodista político torturado en Argelia y autor del célebre libro “La question” Desde 1950, Henri Alleg

No comments

Write a comment
No Comments Yet! You can be first to comment this post!

Write a Comment