UK arms exports to other countries of concern

This is a list of countries which the UK has approved arms exports to that, whilst not appearing on the FCO’s ‘human rights priority countries list’ still raise questions. These include Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Why some of these countries are not highlighted by the FCO as ‘of concern’ is unclear.

26 Jan 2021
UK approves military exports to 80% of countries on own restricted list
Of the 73 destinations that the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) lists as “subject to arms embargo, trade sanctions and other trade restrictions”, 58 have had approval to receive goods that fall under ‘military use exports’ between January 2015 and June 2020.
21 Oct 2020
The UK’s 2019 defence and security exports – examined
Despite a £3billion drop in defence orders from 2018, the UK still sold £11billion of weapons last year (2019), constituting 16% of the global defence market. This is roughly one-third of America’s 47% market share. The annual value of UK’s defence exports is 1,375% greater compared to 25 years ago.
14 Oct 2020
UK approved arms exports to Armenia and Azerbaijan
The UK has approved exports for military equipment and ammunition to both Armenia and Azerbaijan in the past year, the two nations currently fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. This is despite the UK being signed up to an arms embargo to both nations.
21 Jul 2020
Revealed: How the British military supplies ‘mercenary’ forces to a Gulf dictatorship
Britain has 91 troops ‘on loan’ to Oman, where serving UK military pilots are flying Omani fighter jets, helicopters and military transport planes under a secretive scheme designed to bolster the repressive monarchy.
18 Oct 2018
UK arms exports to Mexico
The UK government has continued to condone supplies to the Mexican government of arms and equipment, despite Mexico's high levels of armed violence, often with clear evidence of state culpability.
16 Oct 2018
UK arms exports to Qatar
The UK has, in recent years, increased its arms export to this rich oil-state. Despite Qatar's record of repressive government surveillance, equipment for cyber surveillance lists among the most sold items.
5 Oct 2018
UK arms exports to Turkey
Despite full knowledge of President Erdogan's massive crackdown on media outlets and civil society in recent years, the UK has in particular accepted the export of equipment employing cryptography to Turkey, despite the risks it poses for surveillance and intimidation.
4 Oct 2018
UK arms exports to the UAE
As one of the UK's most important arms trading partners, the regime on the Arabian Peninsula has received military items spanning from cyber surveillance technology to equipment for aerial warfare - both worrying transfers given the UAE's human rights abuses at home and abroad.
2 Oct 2018
UK arms exports to Honduras
Among the arms that the UK exports to this violent and politically insecure Central American country are spy equipment - despite the regime's well-known record of suppressing opposition members.
2 Oct 2018
UK arms exports to Haiti
UK arms exports to Haiti have continued under both a Coalition and subsequent Conservative British governments, despite high levels of corruption in the country and allegations of collusion between criminal gangs and security forces.
2 Oct 2018
UK arms exports to the Philippines
UK arms sales to the Philippines, which mainly constitutes spying equipment, continues, despite the country facing a deteriorating human rights record, one exacerbated by the regime-launched war against drugs in 2016.