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ACTION: Stop U.S. Arms Transfers to Haiti

Arms Trade Update from Amnesty International USA
February 2006

Take action by urging Secretary of State Rice to stop the transfer of U.S. weapons to the Haitian police. Haitian National Police (HNP) officers are believed responsible for numerous cases of excessive and indiscriminate use of force with firearms, including rape and extrajudicial executions. For example, on October 27, 2004 four young men were allegedly executed in broad daylight. Eyewitnesses said about 15 police agents who arrived at the site in five police cars took the four young men between cars and shot them. In addition, in most of the reported cases of violations by the HNP, the Haitian justice system has failed to adequately investigate the incidents, or bring the perpetrators to justice.

Act Now: Urge Secretary of State Rice to stop the transfer of U.S. weapons to Haiti.

Activists Help Push U.S. Government to Support Legal SALW Transfer Criteria

Thanks to more than 4,000 activists who wrote letters to their U.S. Senators in January, 14 U.S. Senators who signed onto a letter to Secretary Rice about adding arms transfer criteria to the UN Program of Action (PoA) on small arms and light weapons (SALW). Previously quiet regarding efforts to elaborate arms transfer criteria, the United States declared its support for discussing the addition of transfer controls for the PoA at a meeting in June/July 2006. While the recent U.S. statement signals a positive shift, it remains vital to continue to push the U.S. government to support adding SALW transfer criteria to the PoA.

Get Ready: The Second UN Conference on SALW Proliferation Starts in June 2006

From June 26 to July 7, 2006, UN member governments will meet for the second time to review and add to the UN Program of Action (PoA), a global agreement to combat the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW). Originally adopted in 2001, this agreement left out many important elements. Since late 2003, the Control Arms Campaign has focused on encouraging governments to support some of those missing elements such as detailed legal arms transfer criteria to the PoA. Stay tuned for several mobilizing opportunities to encourage the U.S. government to support a stronger PoA.

It’s Time for a "Lord of War" Screening Party

On January 17, 2005, Amnesty International held a screening of Lord of War at the UN, as a side event to a UN preparatory meeting on SALW proliferation. AI speakers and the film’s director discussed the arms trade and the making of the film to a packed audience of government officials, including the U.S. government, and NGOs. To view photos from this event, click here. Now it’s your turn – host a "Lord of War" Viewing Party! Click here to learn how. These tips will help your party be a successful awareness raising event.

WATCH MOVIE TRAILER

Senators Lugar and Obama Show Leadership on Arms Stockpile Security

On November 11, 2005, Senators Richard Lugar and Barak Obama proposed legislation that would increase funding to the U.S. Department of State’s program to help secure or destroy stockpiles of conventional arms, including small arms, under threat of proliferation. From Africa to Asia to Europe and beyond, tens of millions of small arms and light weapons (SALW) such as assault rifles and shoulder-fired missiles are still kept in poorly managed circumstances. The Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 1949) increases funding for this program from an average of about $4 million to $20 million per year among other items. For more information about poorly secured stockpiles of weapons, please see AIUSA’s issue brief.

Amnesty International USA

posted by Annamarie at 12:36 AM