The latest SECO figures on the export of war material in the first half of 2021 show that The Swiss authorities turn a blind eye to serious human rights violations in the recipient countries when approving arms exports.
In the first half of 2021, Swiss arms companies delivered war material worth over 2 million Swiss francs to Brazil, with more than half of these exports falling into the category “weapons of all calibers”. The extent of the risk of serious human rights violations being committed with these weapons is documented by terre des hommes schweiz in the study “Stop killing us!”.
Deadly gun violence on the rise in Brazil
The number of fatalities caused by gun violence at the hands of the Brazilian police has been steadily increasing since 2013. A quarter of the people killed in 2019 were under the age of 19. Every day, four children and young people die at the hands of the police in Brazil. Many of the victims are children and young people from favelas. The study by terre des hommes schweiz uses seven case studies and analyzes data, some of which is unpublished: The pistols, rifles, armored vehicles and helicopters used in police and military actions in Brazil are often of German or Swiss manufacture.
A particularly gruesome incident took place at the beginning of May this year. The Rio de Janeiro police carried out a massacre in the Jacarezinho favela in which 27 people lost their lives. The Swiss “WOZ Die Wochenzeitung” reported on the incident.
Stricter rules for arms exports
Against this backdrop, it is clear that Switzerland needs stronger democratic control and stricter rules for arms exports, as demanded by the corrective initiative, which is expected to be discussed in parliament during the fall session.
The core demands of the Alliance against Arms Exports to Civil War Countries, in which terre des hommes schweiz is involved, are as follows: Deliveries to civil war countries or to states that seriously and systematically violate human rights should be banned without exception. These regulations should be enshrined in law in order to ensure the necessary democratic control over arms exports and to prevent arbitrary decisions made under pressure from the arms lobby in future.
No military equipment to Brazil
The study by terre des hommes schweiz shows: The export of war material to Brazil is unacceptable. terre des hommes schweiz and terre des hommes Germany are calling for an immediate ban on all exports of armaments to Brazil in view of the war-like conditions in certain districts and the serious human rights violations.
Andrea Zellhuber, Head of Violence Prevention
Press release GSoA here
