Middle East and North Africa: Stop supply of arms used in protest killings | Amnesty International

The violence in Libya, where hundreds have been killed, including protesters exercising their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly, has escalated alarmingly into a human rights crisis.

Across the Middle East and North Africa region, including Libya, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to demand political and human rights reform in their countries.

In far too many cases, security and armed forces have responded with violence and have killed and wounded protesters, particularly in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Iran, Iraq and Libya, using tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.

Police and security forces have been deployed with shotguns, grenade launchers, riot guns, electro-shock batons, armoured vehicles and police trucks.

A number of states from around the world have supplied arms to these countries.

You can do something to stop the violence and to stop arms getting into the hands of those who will use them to commit human rights violations.
At the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty negotiations this March, Amnesty International will call on governments to push for a treaty that is strong enough to prevent the horrors now taking place in Libya from happening in other countries in the future.

We need your support in demanding a global Arms Trade Treaty with strong human rights rules.

Take Action – pledge your support for a bullet-proof Arms Trade Treaty.

A bullet-proof Arms Trade Treaty must:
·    stop arms getting into the hands of those likely to commit war crimes or grave human rights abuses, as well as those likely to use arms to exacerbate armed violence and crime, gender-based violence and poverty;
·    control all arms and ammunition and their parts, and all those involved in their export and import;
·    end the secrecy and corruption in the global arms trade;
·    be enforced and policed, and hold governments to account.

My pledge:
I support Amnesty International’s campaign and call on all governments to negotiate a strong Arms Trade Treaty that protects rights, lives and livelihoods.

via amnesty.org