UK supports regimes on its own human rights abuse watchlist: Report

The UK is supplying military support and training to countries on its own list of human rights abusers, a new report says.

Since 2014, British armed forces have trained “either security or armed forces personnel” in 16 countries listed on its human rights abusers watchlist, The Independent has revealed.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) designated 30 nations as “human rights priority” countries last year, warning of their conduct on a range of issues from internal repression to the use of sexual violence in armed conflicts.

According to the British Defense Ministry, UK soldiers have trained the militaries of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burma, Burundi, China, Colombia, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Zimbabwe – despite the human rights records of those countries.

In March, The Independent reported that British commandos are training Bahraini soldiers in using sniper rifles, despite the alleged…

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