Grimason backs arms trade treaty

Feb 13 2012

A father whose toddler son was shot dead in a cafe in Turkey has called on the UK Government to "show global leadership" during talks on a global arms trade treaty.

David Grimason has campaigned for tighter controls on the arms trade since his two-year-old son Alistair was killed during a gunfight at a cafe in Foca in July 2003.

The governments of 153 countries have been working towards a global arms trade treaty since 2006, with final negotiations due to be held at the United Nations in July.

Mr Grimason, 40, who lives in Edinburgh, attended an Amnesty International Scotland and Oxfam Scotland event where the organisations launched a call for a "bullet-proof arms trade".

He said: "We need to highlight this week that we need the UK Government to be very vocal and show global leadership to make sure that this treaty has human rights at the heart of it."

He added: "At the moment three-quarters of a million people are dying every year, I think about 1,500 people every day are dying because of the easy access to firearms, so I think this treaty will reduce the amount of firearms out there and save a number of lives and make the world a lot safer."

Amnesty International Scotland is urging the public to increase pressure on the UK Government by writing to party leaders and asking them to demand strong leadership in UN negotiations for an arms trade treaty.

Shabnum Mustapha, programme director for Amnesty International Scotland, said: "The human cost of an irresponsible, unregulated arms trade is truly shocking - every year 750,000 are killed through armed violence, with so many more plunged even deeper into poverty.

"We need a bulletproof arms trade treaty and we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make it happen.

"Now is the time for the UK Government to show leadership and ensure that a treaty governing the sale and transfer of arms is comprehensive, is enforced and puts human rights right at its very heart."