On November 24, 2009, the US State Department (DOS) stated that the US would not sign a treaty banning the use of anti-personnel landmines, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction [PDF]. Though the US did not sign the treaty, it did send a delegation of humanitarian landmine observers to attend the conference, which took place in Cartagena, Colombia. International human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch (HRW), criticized the US decision not to join the treaty. The US did, however, adopt a policy [PDF] on cluster munitions, recognizing the need to minimize unintended harm to civilians. To date, 160 countries have signed the treaty.

Learn more about landmines and weapons treaties from the JURIST news archive.

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