Zaki, Regeni: Why doesn’t Italy (at least) stop sending arms to Egypt?
George Beretta
commentator
July 19, 2023 at 11:51
The despicable condemnation of Patrick Zaki, who had been granted Italian citizenship for over a year in the two chambers of the parliament but was never actually implemented, for the crime of “incitement to violence and terrorism”, and moreover, the brutal murder of Giulio Regeni, the three officers of the National Security Agency, the Egyptian internal secret service. Being a defendant once again highlights the possibility of litigation against a state like Egypt where human rights violations are serious and widely documented.
In addition to the positions taken by the government and diplomatic initiatives, there is a measure prescribed by international law and our own legislation: the ban on the export of weapons and military systems. “The export (…) and brokerage of military supplies to countries whose governments are responsible for serious violations of international human rights conventions as determined by the competent bodies of the United Nations, the EU or the Council of Europe is also prohibited” turf. 185 of 1990, § 1.
European Parliament resolutions
Even the European Parliament has repeatedly stated in various resolutions voted by a large majority that member states “stop all exports to Egypt”, notably recalling the cases of Patrick Zaki and Giulio Regeni, as well as the numerous human rights abuses in Egypt. the use of weapons, surveillance technologies and other security equipment that can facilitate attacks and any other internal pressure on human rights defenders and civil society activists, including social media” (see Decision of 10 March 2016; Decision of 18 December, 2020 and 24 November 2022) Decision dated).
As can be seen, these resolutions do not demand a ban on the export of all military supplies and systems, but specifically a ban on weapons and surveillance technologies that “could facilitate attacks on human rights defenders and civil society activists”. This is an important limitation, because if it is true that all military systems contribute to increasing a State’s arsenal of war, it is equally true that there are so-called “light weapons” used primarily by the military and security. apparatus for internal printing. Indeed, although it is difficult to assume that military ships—like the two frigates Italy supplied to Egypt—were used to suppress public demonstrations, it is precisely “light weapons” that are suitable for use for internal pressure. . In concrete terms, providing these weapons to Egypt’s armed and security forces means supporting the Al-Sisi regime’s repressive policies and giving them the tools to implement them.
Small sleeves for inside printing
And as documented in a comprehensive report by the EgyptWide society, to which I have the honor to contribute along with many other researchers, again Italian-made “small arms and light weapons” were used by security forces and state forces. for internal pressure, abuse and human rights violations.
It should be added to the large number of Italian guns reported in the report – as stated in my book ““Land of Weapons” (Edizioni Altreconomia) On February 24, 2021, the Draghi government granted the Beretta arms factory a supply authorization for all 96 ARX-160 assault rifles worth €440,335 plus an additional €118, including 576 spare parts and a one-week training course. Semi-automatic pistols of 9×19 caliber with spare parts, again from Beretta, cost just over 50 thousand euros. Over the past year, Italy has continued to supply Al Sisi’s military and security apparatus with tools that can be used for internal pressure, including automatic weapons and their ammunition, electronic equipment, and even “special military training equipment” with bombs and missiles. Its total value is over 72.7 million euros.
Not just. Last May, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Chief of Staff Giuseppe Cavo Dragone were received in Cairo, where they met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki, Nova Agency reported. – “agreed to continue to develop cooperation in the military field”. It’s a not-so-secret way of saying that Italy will continue to arm and train Al Sisi’s armed forces.
hypocritical reasons
Two objections usually arise when proposals to suspend shipments of “light arms” alone are advanced. The first is something like this: “If we don’t provide them, others will.” While this is true in the abstract, it is not in reality and above all in substance. First of all, a precise article of the European Union’s Common Position 2008/944/CFSP requires all Member States to refuse “export licenses if there is a clear risk that the technology or military equipment to be exported may be used for printing”. internal” (Article 2.2). And a subsequent clause makes it actually very difficult for a Member State to authorize an arms export that was refused by another Member State “for a substantially identical operation in the previous three years” (Article 4.1). Its refusal to supply some weapons to Turkey would also have a positive and limiting effect on other EU countries.
But above all, the suspension of arms shipments to a regime that blatantly violates human rights like Al Sisi’s Egypt, beyond its actual effectiveness, is already in itself a strong and overt condemnation of the violations and repressive policies implemented by the regime. represents the sign. that regime. It is precisely this open condemnation that Italy has failed to implement in recent years in the face of the Regeni and Zaki cases, which concern us directly.
The second objection is that small arms supplies will represent very little compared to the billion-dollar trade in other industries, such as mining, where ENI is fully active. If so, the opposite is true. And, that is, the low economic importance of sourcing “light arms” and control technologies should at least lead to the use of this tool, given that the effects of blocking these supplies would not represent significant economic damage to companies. Produce these weapons and technologies and even less for the Italian economy. However, even in this case, it is the signal sent, not the economic relevance that is evaluated. A sign of open condemnation of a regime’s repressive policies. You don’t want to replace it so as not to jeopardize other and much more lucrative deals. Just like the ones in ENI.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.