Hundreds of people have been killed in a violent crackdown in Egypt while the British government continues arms sales.
Campaign Against the Arms Trade
Despite the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the time following the removal of Hosni Mubarak from power, and the July 2013 military coup which ousted elected President Morsi, the UK government has continued to approve the export of arms to Egypt.
While the Export Licensing Organisation of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills did revoke five export licences on 19 July 2013 amid concerns over civilian deaths, no embargo has been announced.
The UK government should immediately revoke all extant export licences to Egypt and suspend the processing of applications in the pipeline.
All exports of military equipment, whether or not they can directly be used in repression, send a message of UK support to the recipient regime, and undermine calls to respect human rights.
It is also vital that Egypt is not invited to London’s DSEi arms fair in September 2013 – it was invited to the last DSEi in 2011, but the Government has refused to make its invitation list public in advance this time.
Figures published in July 2013 show that the UK had licensed over £65 million worth of arms exports to the country from the fall of the Mubarak regime to the end of March 2013.
This included assault rifles, machine guns, thermal imaging equipment, military communications equipment and components for military combat vehicles and combat helicopters.
Email Foreign Secretary William Hague to tell him we need an embargo on arms to Egypt now.
Source: CAAT
