Amnesty International Australia has made a submission on proposed amendments to the Sanctions Regulations 2011, which will enable the Australian Government to impose autonomous sanctions on the Taliban authorities for its ongoing serious human rights breaches.
The amendments will provide Australia with a unilateral mechanism, complementing the existing UN sanctions regime, to increase pressure on the Taliban to improve the appalling, and worsening, human rights situation in Afghanistan, one that has been further exacerbated by ongoing multiple humanitarian crises that affect almost half the population.
We strongly support the Amendment’s proposed prohibition on the export of arms and related matériel to Afghanistan, together with related services.
As a party to the UN Arms Trade Treaty, Australia is obliged to prevent the transfer of such items:
… if it has knowledge at the time of authorization that the arms or items would be used in the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, attacks directed against civilian objects or civilians protected as such, or other war crimes as defined by international agreements to which it is a Party. (Article 6.3)
Any action to ensure that Australia’s practice is fully consistent with this clear prohibition, thereby avoiding complicity in serious breaches on human rights and humanitarian law outside Australia, is
most welcome.
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all – and we can only do it with your support.
Act now or learn more about our human rights work.
