International arms deals are being brokered in Ireland resulting in significant loss of life in African nations, according to Amnesty International. Conor Lally reports.
The human rights organisation also said that allegations of Garda misconduct in Ireland are "rife".
The group urged the Government to use its six-month EU presidency to support efforts towards the adoption of an international arms trade treaty by 2006.
"Deals made on Irish soil are killing civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere," said Mr Seán Love, executive director of Amnesty International's Irish section.
"The fact that there is no law on arms brokering in Ireland means that international deals can be made here which allow weapons to be sold to fuel conflicts all over the world. The Irish Government must put a stop to the carnage by supporting the introduction of binding legal rules in this area," he said.
Ms Anne Marlborough, Amnesty's EU presidency lobbyist, said it was difficult to measure the extent to which international arms dealers were conducting their business in Ireland.
Amnesty International called on the Government to use its EU presidency to bring a series of human rights issues to the fore. Its recommendations were contained in a report, "Human Rights Begin at Home; Recommendations to Ireland's EU presidency", which was launched in Dublin.
In its report it urged Ireland to use its EU presidency to:
- Promote international best-practice standards on human rights in any new agreements in co-operation between EU police forces.
- Encourage member-states to transpose into domestic law an EU anti-racism directive which should have become law last July across the EU.
- Promote the ratification of the UN protocol on human trafficking by all member-states. The protocol targets those engaged in the traffic of humans in prostitution and slave labour.
Mr Dick Oosting, director of Amnesty International's EU office said "the EU human rights machine appears to be running out of steam".
"It is not enough for the EU to preach human rights abroad. Europe must look to itself first," he said. In its annual report last year Amnesty International highlighted a number of cases involving alleged Garda misconduct, which it said were a cause for concern. Those included the McBrearty affair, the Reclaim the Streets demonstration and the death of John Carthy.