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Arms Flows from Central and Eastern Europe Letter to President of China on Arms Sale to Zimbabwe We write to urge the government of the People’s Republic of China to immediately recall the shipment of weapons aboard the An Yue Jiang, currently off the coast of southern Africa. We also urge you to ensure that no further arms and ammunition deliveries are sent to Zimbabwe while the very high risk exists of such weapons being used against the civilian population. April 22, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version China: Recall Arms Shipment Headed for Zimbabwe Weapons Sale Does Not Accord With Being a ‘Responsible Power’ The Chinese government should immediately recall the shipment of weapons aboard the An Yue Jiang intended for Zimbabwe and currently off the coast of southern Africa, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao released today (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/22/china18618.htm), Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government to cease all arms deliveries to Zimbabwe while the very high risk exists of such weapons being used against the civilian population. April 22, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version United States: Cut Off Cluster Munition Sales to Israel Compel Israel to Provide Strike Data Preliminary US government findings that Israel violated agreements with the United States by its use of cluster munitions in Lebanon last summer should lead to an immediate cutoff of all US cluster munitions sales to Israel, Human Rights Watch said today. January 29, 2007 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version India: Military Aid to Burma Fuels Abuses India Must Halt Arms Sales and Training to Burmese Army The Indian government is offering a package of military assistance to the Burmese army, which is likely to use such arms and training to attack against civilians in its war against ethnic insurgents, Human Rights Watch said today. December 7, 2006 Press Release Printer friendly version Ending Investment in Cluster Munition Producers A Joint Statement by Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, and Netwerk Vlaanderen Cluster munitions stand out as the weapon category most in need of stronger national and international regulation in order to protect civilians during and following armed conflict. Cluster munitions have been used in at least twenty countries and while this number is still relatively limited, the harm to the civilian population is striking in nearly every case. April 7, 2005 Oral Statement Printer friendly version Worldwide Production and Export of Cluster Munitions The potential future dangers of widespread production and continued proliferation of cluster munitions demand urgent action to bring the humanitarian threat under control. At least seventy countries stockpile cluster munitions and the aggregate number of submunitions in these stockpiles is staggering. April 7, 2005 Background Briefing Download PDF, 312 KB, 16 pgs Printer friendly version Special Report: Mass Home Demolitions in Gaza The Israeli armed forces have illegally razed thousands of homes, regardless of military necessity, to clear Palestinians from the Gaza-Egypt border and create a “buffer zone.” October 18, 2004 Special Focus Printer friendly version Small Arms and Conflict in West Africa Testimony of Lisa Misol, Human Rights Watch Researcher, Before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus For over a decade, Human Rights Watch has monitored crisis and conflict in West Africa, documented human rights abuses, and pressed for action to stop the abuses. May 20, 2004 Testimony Printer friendly version NATO/EU: Reform Slovakia’s Arms Trade The government of Slovakia must do more to bring its arms trade under control, Human Rights Watch said in a new report today. February 10, 2004 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Ripe for Reform Stemming Slovakia's Arms Trade with Human Rights Abusers The government of Slovakia must do more to bring its arms trade under control. Slovakia adopted some legal reforms in 2001 and 2002, but serious problems remain that allow arms to be exported or illegally trafficked to human rights-abusing countries in Africa and elsewhere. Human Rights Watch says that the country has served as both an exporter and transit hub for arms deals from other countries. Many of the weapons it supplies are surplus weapons the country is shedding as it finalized preparations to enter NATO. HRW Index No.: D1602 February 10, 2004 Report Download PDF, 1620 KB, 94 pgs Purchase online Weapons and War Crimes: The Complicity of Arms Suppliers Published in HRW World Report 2004 From Rwanda’s genocide to massacres by paramilitaries and rebels in Colombia, the provision of arms, ammunition, and other forms of military support to known human rights abusers has enabled them to carry out atrocities against civilians. The perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are on notice that they may be hauled before a national or international criminal tribunal to face charges. Yet the individuals and states who provide the weapons used in massive human rights abuses have so far been let off the hook for their central role in facilitating these crimes. January 26, 2004 Commentary Liberia: Guinea Flouts Arms Embargo U.N. Security Council Member Facilitates Atrocities The government of Guinea violated the United Nations arms embargo on Liberia and supplied weapons that Liberian rebels used to commit atrocities, Human Rights Watch charged in a briefing paper released today. November 5, 2003 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Liberia: Where the Arms Come from Liberia urgently needs more peacekeepers. But West Africa as a whole needs sustained and skillful diplomacy just as badly. The continuing war in Liberia is a regional war, and the United States has lost many opportunities to engage West African governments in ways that might have lessened the suffering this war has caused. The Bush administration should not lose any more chances. September 17, 2003 Commentary Also available in
Liberia: Where the Arms Come from By Peter Takirambudde, Executive Director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch Published in The International Herald Tribune NEW YORK -- The image of corpses piled up before the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia in July shocked Americans' conscience. Despite several thousand marines offshore, however, Washington has still not made a real commitment to solving Liberia's crisis. September 17, 2003 Commentary Printer friendly version UN: Global Action Needed on Small Arms The global spread and rampant misuse of small arms and light weapons requires a reinvigorated international response, Human Rights Watch said today. More than 100 governments will gather in New York July 7-11 to assess progress in stemming the trade in small arms since a U.N. Program of Action was agreed two years ago. July 7, 2003 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version NATO: Focus on Arms Trafficking NATO should make the fight against arms trafficking a top priority in Central and Eastern Europe, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 26, foreign ministers of the seven countries invited to join NATO are expected to attend the signing of the accession protocols in Brussels. March 25, 2003 Press Release Printer friendly version Open Letter to NATO Heads of State and Government on Weak Arms Trade Controls in Central and Eastern Europe Recent scandals involving the supply of weapons from Central and Eastern Europe to Iraq and Liberia, in violation of mandatory United Nations embargoes, make clear that a number of governments in the region do not exercise reliable control on the weapons trade. November 15, 2002 Letter EU: Keep Up Pressure for Arms Trade Reforms in Candidate Countries The European Union (EU) should continue to press candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe to improve arms trade controls, Human Rights Watch said today. Tomorrow, the EU is expected to release the latest annual reports assessing the progress of individual candidates toward accession. These will help pave the way for final decisions, expected later this year, on the next round of EU enlargement. October 8, 2002 Press Release Printer friendly version Arms Trade, Human Rights, and European Union Enlargement: The Record of Candidate Countries The countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including several that are candidates for European Union (E.U.) membership, have long been a major source of weapons flows to human rights abusers, conflict regions, and clients suspected of diverting weapons to unauthorized destinations. There has been some recent progress to tighten controls, but serious problems remain. October 8, 2002 Background Briefing Purchase online Bulgaria Approves Long Awaited Arms Trade Reforms On July 18, the Bulgarian parliament approved important changes to the country's law on the foreign trade in weapons. Since issuing a 1999 report on Bulgaria's role as a key weapons supplier to governments and armed groups that abuse human rights, Human Rights Watch has called for reform to tighten arms trade controls. HRW encouraged NATO and European Union officials to use their leverage to press for needed changes in Bulgaria, which is seeking membership in both organizations. September 1, 2002 Advocacy Impact |
European Union Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, 1998 in English in Bulgarian Publications Arsenals on the Cheap: NATO Expansion and the Arms Cascade April 1999 Tackling small arms proliferation and responsible disposal of excess weapons stockpiles has not been a priority for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to date. Yet ensuring that abusive forces do not receive weapons which may one day imperil both the civilian population under NATO’s protection and the peacekeepers themselves should be a top priority. Bulgaria: Money Talks - Arms Dealing with Human Rights Abusers April 1999 In the 1990s Bulgaria was a weapons source for armed forces in Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Angola, and Rwanda, among other countries. Income from arms deals, when it was not lining the pockets of corrupt government officials or arms industry representatives, helped keep the economy afloat by bringing in hard currency. Although Bulgarian law sets out guidelines for the review of arms license applications, these guidelines do not incorporate Bulgaria’s international commitments. Related Material Fueling Aghanistan's War Press Backgrounder, 2001 Neglected Arms Embargo on Sierra Leone Rebels Briefing Paper, May 15, 2000 Burkina Faso Arms Inquiry Urged Weapons Transferred Illegally to Rebels in Sierra Leone, Angola Press Release, March 30, 2000 Sanctions-Busting in Angola Human Rights Watch Backgrounder, March 14, 2000 Angola Unravels - The Rise and Fall of the Lusaka Peace Process Human Rights Watch Report, 1999 World Report 2002 Bulgaria Czech Republic Romania Slovakia Mechanisms of Arms Control World Report, 2000 World Report, 1999 Other Work of the Arms Division |
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