End the UK arms trade

This morning in the news there are reports of military actions in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Both these countries are recipients of UK arms, for details visit the Campaign Against Arms Trade at http://www.caat.org.uk/publications/countries.php

These are just two of the countries with poor human rights records who are recipients of UK arms. Other countries include China, Colombia, Israel and Turkey.

Our government may occasionally may make mild criticism of some of the governments, but such actions are hipocritical when we continue to ship arms to these countries.

The brutality of the Taliban

Yesterday on the Guardian website a very harrowing video was posted of the Taliban administering punishment on a teenage girl for being in the company of a married man. As a result of the 17 year old girl breaching the Taliban's rules she was sentenced to 34 lashes.

Our government must protest to Pakistan in the strongest terms about the brutalities exacted on Pakistani women.

Read more at on the Amnesty International website at http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=2934