Amnesty urges action on small arms

AMNESTY International has urged the government to use its presidency of the European Union to stamp out the widespread proliferation of small arms which kill one person around the world every minute.

Labelling small arms as “the world’s real weapons of mass destruction”, Amnesty criticised the Government’s failure to introduce legal barriers to prevent the brokering of arms deals on Irish soil. As a result, it said such deals have contributed to the death of civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere.

Amnesty yesterday launched a hard-hitting campaign to promote the inclusion of human rights during Ireland’s EU presidency. In a report entitled ‘Human Rights Begin at Home’ the organisation makes recommendations to the Government in relation to key areas it seeks progress on during the Presidency.

“The fact that there is no law on arms-brokering in Ireland means that international deals can be made here which allow weapons to be sold to conflicts all over the world,” Sean Love, executive director of Amnesty International’s Irish Section said.

In its report, Amnesty are calling for the presidency to support the adoption of an international Arms Trade Treaty by 2006 to prevent the export of arms when they contribute to violations of international human rights norms.

It also highlights issues such as police misconduct, violence against women and racism, and notes that 13 of the 15 EU member states last year perpetrated abuses of human rights within their territories.

“Ireland can lead by example in these areas: it’s easy to introduce guidelines, but to bring them up and make them real in some way is the challenge,” said Mr Love.

Amnesty is seeking the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant in all states, with appropriate human rights safeguards to protect civil liberties.

On racism, the report says there needs to be pressure on member states to transpose the EU Race Directive into national laws across the union.

Ratification of the UN protocol on human trafficking is also called for, along with greater protections for women, children and refugees.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the Irish government to leave a legacy of human rights promotion and protection,” said Mr Love.

The campaign to prioritise human rights during the Irish Presidency will mobilise around 20,000 Amnesty supporters in Ireland, as well as more than a million members across the European Union and the accession states.