HR groups slam UK’s marketing arms to repressive regimes
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People run as Turkish anti-riot police officers use tear gas to disperse supporters in front of the headquarters of the Turkish daily newspaper Zaman in Istanbul on March 5, 2016. (AFP)
Human rights groups have censured a major UK-sponsored "security trade show" that aims to sell non-lethal weaponry and crowd control gadgets to some of the world’s most oppressive regimes.
Among the governments invited to take part in the privately-held fair in Farnborough, Hampshire, are Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Zionist regime, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Turkey, which have widely been denounced for brutal tactics their forces use against public protests, British dailyThe Guardian reported Saturday.
Police and security officials from 79 countries are expected to participate in the fair, officially sponsored by the British government’s Home Office, facilitating potentially lucrative sales of non-lethal armaments and surveillance equipment by UK-based corporations.
Unlike other major defense trade shows, however, the Farnborough fair takes pride in the fact that it is taking place behind closed doors. Its website boasts that the private event “enables exhibitors to display products which would be too sensitive to show in a more open environment.”
“There are serious questions to be asked about the impact of the so-called ‘non-lethal’ arms industry,” said Andrew Smith of the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). “These risks become even more important when these weapons are being sold to human rights abusers and dictatorships.”
“A number of the countries in attendance routinely practice torture, arbitrary detention and other appalling acts of violence,” he added. “The UK should not be arming these regimes and selling them the means to oppress and kill."
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