The UK and the UAE: Linking Arms in Repression

When: Wednesday 11th October, 18:30-20:00

Where: Room 16, Palace of Westminster, London SW1A 0AA

Speakers:

James Shires, Expert in Cyber Security in the Middle East

Ann Feltham, Parliamentary Co-ordinator for Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT)

Rami Al-Mrayat, Jordanian ex-prisoner in the UAE (via Skype)

Manu Luksch, Open Society Fellow and Visiting Fellow at Goldsmiths University

More to be confirmed

This seminar will explore the UK-UAE trading relationship, in light of the recent announcement that bilateral trade between the two countries is set to increase to up to £25bn by 2020. This event will scrutinise this deal in close detail and ascertain the implications it holds in terms of the appalling track record of human rights violations in the UAE.

Particular attention will be paid to the arms sector, where it was recently revealed that the British company BAE Systems has negotiated trade deals to sell the UAE cyber surveillance technology which the Emirati regime has used to spy on its citizens. In addition, the UK government has facilitated sales of weapons which have been used to commit war crimes in Yemen.

With this in mind, this seminar will examine the role that British trading relations play in facilitating human rights abuses in the UAE, and question what doubling bilateral trade with the UAE tells us about British foreign policy, especially in the context of Brexit.

Chaired by Joe Odell, Press Officer at the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE

Kindly hosted by Alastair Carmichael MP

Please RSVP through Eventbrite or by emailing campaigns@icfuae.org.uk