Last November the Peace Hub launched their first campaign for peace from their new premises Birmingham city centre. The team encouraged the public to sign a petition for the Foreign Office calling for an arms embargo to Egypt and other countries where UK arms could be used for repression. Now the Peace Hub share the Foreign Office’s response, showing positive steps for change and greater restrictions.

Over 250 UK companies produce products for the arms trade. In order to export these products each company must apply to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for an Arms Export License. In 2013 licenses were issued allowing arms to be exported from the UK to over 100 countries worldwide. This includes many countries where the arms we export may be used for violent repression. Several are on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s own list of countries with “the most serious wide-ranging human rights concerns,” such as China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Israel and Russia.

The Peace Hub especially focused on Egypt for their campaign. In 2013 10 licenses were granted by the UK to export arms to Egypt, mostly components for military vehicles and imaging cameras. While these supplies may seem less harmful than guns or bullets, the Egyptian security services rely on these supplies to maintain military power and repress peaceful opposition. An example of the impact of this repression is the human rights defender Yara Sallam who has spent many years working to promote women’s rights in Egypt, and in 2013 was awarded the ‘African Shield’ for defending human rights. She was arrested on 21st June 2014, along with 24 others, for taking part in a peaceful protest and faces 5 years imprisonment if found guilty. The protesters were attacked by a group of men in civilian clothes before being detained by the security services. However there appears an opportunity for change, as a small number of licenses to export components for machine guns to Egypt were revoked in 2013 indicating that the UK government may be receptive to calls for an embargo.

In April the Foreign Office responded to the Peace Hubs petition. The Office recognised that arms sold around the world could be used for human rights abuses, and agrees in principle that exports of this nature should not be allowed. In relation to Egypt restrictions have been increased: instead of refusing export licenses to Egypt where there is a “clear risk that goods might be used for internal repression”, licenses are now refused for any goods that “might be used for internal repression.” This might seem like a minor change, but by no longer having to prove a ‘clear risk’ it is easier for the Foreign Office to be more restrictive. However, despite positive changes he Foreign Office’s response makes clear that they are making these decisions in-line with judgements from the European Union: so the campaign to control arms exports may need to move to the European level next.

For the Peace Hub the response marks a success for the public being listened to and promoting peace-keeping at ground level. To find out more about the arms trade pop into the Peace Hub on Bull Street, Birmingham weekdays between 11am and 2.30pm. The full story of the campaign can be found on the Peace Hub website http://www.peacehub.org.uk/category/peace-justice-themes/arms-trade-peace-justice-themes/