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WASHINGTON
- February 9 - Today the Council for a Livable World Education Fund released its new
report detailing various weapons sold by the U.S. to selected abusive
governments around the world. Entitled "Human Rights and Weapons: Records
of Selected U.S. Arms Clients," this study not only describes the type,
number, and dollar value of some of the weapons sold to these countries by
the U.S., but also in what kinds of abusive practices the security forces
of those nations engage.
The report notes that:
The U.S. delivered numerous small arms to Colombia for its anti-drug
efforts in the last decade, and licensed for sale 5,500 pistols and
revolvers, as well as riot control chemicals to Colombia last year.
Colombian security forces "committed numerous, serious violations of human
rights throughout the year," including torture and over 20 cases of
extra-judicial killing.
Turkey, one of the U.S.'s largest arms buyers, received 9 F-16s, as
well as several missiles in 1998. They were cleared to buy 200 armored
personnel carriers and riot control equipment that year as well. According
to the State Department, extra-judicial killing and torture are still
widespread in Turkey, including one case of torturing a two and a half year
old boy.
Indonesia, which recently withdrew from illegally occupied East Timor
after 25 years, was cited by the State Department for "serious human rights
abuses," including torture techniques of stapling and electric shock, as
well as one case of police torturing a seven month old baby. The U.S.
continued to train Indonesian armed forces in 1998, as well as sell and
deliver weapons, such as ammunition and logistical/supply equipment.
Eritrea and Ethiopia, two of the world's poorest countries, began
fighting in 1998. That did not stop the U.S. from selling each side
weapons, or delivering previously purchased ones. The majority of the
support was for logistics, supply, and training. Ethiopia bought $10
million worth of weapons from the Pentagon in 1998.
Combining human rights and arms trade data into one document will hopefully
demonstrate the connection between human rights abuses perpetrated by these
countries and the U.S. military equipment they receive. It is also meant
to show that the State Department, which supposedly takes human rights into
account when licensing arms exports, fails to do so, or at least not in any
meaningful manner.
As U.S. forces are increasingly used to quell regional conflicts around the
world, the chances that they will face American weapons increases. This
report illustrates that if the U.S., the world's number one arms dealer,
wants to promote regional stability and protect its troops, then it should
curtail arms sales, particularly small arms, to abusive governments or
areas of conflict.
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