Britain exports arms to repressive countries.
British government exports nuclear weapon chemicals, CS gas, and firearms to repressive countries, a freedom of information request has revealed.
According to British paper Daily Mirror, deuterium compounds, used to produce nuclear weapons, were among the perilous products approved for export to Saudi Arabia.
The British exports to Saudi Arabia, authorized by London, also include CS and tear gas ammunition.
Moreover, a log of 5,000 controlled product licences granted since 2010 reveals an order from Egypt for 1,900 combat shotguns which was approved by the government in May.
Anti-arm trade campaigners raised concerns over the issue, saying arms export license applications for goods to authoritarian regimes might be used to facilitate internal repression.
œIt is time to say stop selling arms to repressive regimes,” a Campaign Against the Arms Trade spokesperson said.
œDavid Cameron fawns on Middle East rulers begging them to buy UK arms, even as they suppress democracy activists,” she added.
According to the paper, controlled goods, including spare parts for drones and bombs and missile parts, have also been approved for Turkey, whose recent crackdown on anti-government protests was heavily criticized by right groups.
Countries with worrying civil rights records, including Israel, have also been named on the export list.
According to earlier reports, Britain™s Foreign Office has approved more than £12 billion worth of current export licenses for arms and military gear to countries with a bad human rights record.
The countries for which the largest numbers of licences have been issued include Saudi Arabia with 417 licences and a value of £1.8 billion, and Israel with 381 licences and a value of £7.8 billion.
Amnesty international earlier condemned Britain™s approval of export licences for the sale of arms to countries with questionable human rights records.
œUntil there is much greater transparency over exactly what we are selling and to whom, it will be impossible for parliament or the public to have confidence in the UK’s arms sales policies,” said Oliver Sprague from the organization.
MOS/HE
Copyright: Press TV