German arms export control: study shows violations of international law
German arms export control: study shows violations of international law
Germany violates its European and international obligations in relation to the control of arms exports, according to a study by the international lawyer Prof. Dr. Marauhn from the University of Gießen. The study was on behalf of the organizations Aktion Aktion - stops the arms trade!, Terre des Hommes and without armor life. German laws are only inadequate the provisions of the EU, the weapons trade contract and the UN Convention on the Rights of Children and there is no legal control at the national level.
The consequences of these illegal arms exports are tragic, because many children are injured or killed in war zones with German weapons. There is currently an indictment against Germany in front of the International Court of Justice for arms exports to countries in the Middle East and against German companies and authorities will be investigated before the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
Germany must help the European rules and international law help to enforce instead of giving in for unrestricted exports. The rules must be controlled in particular in terms of small weapons that are considered to be the weapons of mass destruction of the 21st century. The current German definition for small weapons covers only 20-30 percent of exports of German handguns.
In order to implement the European and international law obligations, the organizations are calling for a consistent arms export control law. All criteria for the approval of arms exports should be clearly stipulated in it and compliance with the rules must be able to be checked in court. Other countries such as the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy and South Africa have already implemented these legal control options. The benchmark of arms export policy should always be avoiding suffering.
Overall, the study shows the need for Germany to tighten its arms export practice and the legal situation and to better adapt to its obligations in relation to the control of arms exports.
In the following table you will find information about the organizations mentioned:
| Organization | Focus |
| ——————————- | --——————————————
| Action outcry | Stop the arms trade |
| terre des hommes | Children's rights |
| Live without armor | Arms export control |