Between 2011-2020, the UK licensed £16.8bn of arms to countries criticised by Freedom House, a US government-funded human rights group.
Of the 53 countries castigated for a poor record on political and human rights on the group’s list, the UK sold arms and military equipment to 39.
Noteworthy recipients include Libya, which received £9.3m of assault rifles, military vehicle components and ammunition. Last week it was the focus of international peace talks to stabilise a country where armed groups and foreign powers compete for influence.
Further analysis by the London-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) found that £11.8bn of arms had been authorised by the UK government during the same period to the Foreign Office’s own list of “human rights priority countries”. Two-thirds of the countries – 21 out of 30 – on the UK government list of repressive regimes had received UK military equipment.
The Department for International Trade has also identified nine nations as “core markets” for arms exports that groups say are guilty of many human rights abuses, including Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Turkey.
The UK government has already admitted that a Saudi-led coalition has attacked Yemen using weapons made by British companies with the UK supplying more than half of combat aircraft used by the Middle East kingdom for its bombing raids.
“Wherever there is oppression and conflict there will always be arms companies trying to profit from it, and complicit governments helping them to do so,” said Andrew Smith of the CAAT.
“Many of these sales are going to despots, dictatorships and human rights abusing regimes. They haven’t happened by accident. None of these arms sales would have been possible without the direct support of Boris Johnson and his colleagues,” added Smith. (Source: The Guardian)
Comment:
Without the support of Western governments, the repressive and dictatorial regimes of the world could not survive. They are agents of the colonialist policies that the “free world” governments perpetrate against the majority of the people of the planet. It is of course no surprise that Western governments behave in such an unethical and corrupt manner, as they are themselves but agents to powerful corporations and their lobbying groups, among whom are the arms dealing companies.
Capitalism is founded upon the selfish secular doctrine which allows its adherents to view any and every opportunity to exploit as fair game, regardless of ethical considerations or the misery that they will cause. Britain is the same country that has a philandering habitual liar as its prime minister, who refused to reprimand his philandering Health Secretary, also accused of lying, who is himself along with Home Secretary Pritti Patel, being referred to the serious fraud office for potentially corrupt dealings in awarding massive contracts to supply ventilators and essential PPE (personal protective equipment) for hospital staff.
These are the most corrupt people on earth who supply arms to the most malicious dictators on earth to conduct wars for their personal gain.
The system that tolerates and approves of such corruption is not worthy of consideration for anyone, let alone the Muslims who desire truth and justice to prevail. The current democratic world order is the root of oppression in most of the world.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
«يُحْشَرُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ الْجَبَّارُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِي صُوَرِ الذَّرِّ يَطَؤُهُمُ النَّاسُ لِهَوَانِهِمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ»
“The arrogant and the tyrants will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection as tiny particles. The people will trample upon them due to their disgrace before Allah Almighty.”
Yahya Nisbet
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Britain