[JURIST] Independent UN human rights expert Alfred de Zayas [official profile] said [press release] Thursday that “[a]rms deals are a major threat to security, peace and human rights.” De Zayas, the UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, explained that the arms deals often bring with them the risk that the weapons will be used in a manner “contravening international law and human rights treaties” as well as the possibility that they will be used to commit war crimes. He urged states to “abstain” from engaging in arms deals, adding that those who do engage in arms deals cannot be granted military aid and instead stressed that these nations should “work collaboratively on resolving the root causes of local, regional and international conflict, often emerging from the unrepresentative nature of governments, great injustices and inequalities prevailing in the world, the race for natural resources and the asymmetries of trade relations.”

This is not the first time that arms deals have come under fire. In March two human rights groups called [JURIST report] for the US, UK and France to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia due to accusations and evidence that the weapons are being used in attacks against Yemen. Also in March the Dutch parliament passed a bill [JURIST report] that would ban weapon exports to Saudi Arabia. In May Amnesty International [advocacy website] urged [JURIST report] EU officials to adhere to a 2013 suspension on arms transfers with Egypt in order to prevent human rights violations.