Germany halts exportation license of arms manufacturer after discovery in Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

Germany halts exportation license of arms manufacturer after discovery in Colombia
Jul 14, 2014 posted by Daniel Medendorp Escobar

Germany has temporarily revoked the exportation license of arms manufacturer SIG Sauer, amid suspicions that the company sold arms illegally to Colombia, according to media reports.

Recently, it was revealed that as many as 65,000 Sauer pistols made their ways into the hands of Colombian National Police forces, despite German sanctions prohibiting the sale of arms to Colombia and other countries whose security forces have similarly poor human rights records.

Although the arms in question may have been sold through SIG Sauer’s sister company in the United States, the fact that they are German-made opens the door for sanctions from the German government, according to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.

~snip~
History of the weapons in Colombia

While that would prohibit German arms dealers from doing business with the Colombian state, the German government had allowed the export of SIG Sauer weapons to the United States on the condition that the US Department of Defense not resell them. Now, allegations are circulating that the US government did precisely that, after a German-manufactured SP 2022 pistol was found in the hands of a young Colombian police officer in May. Since then, almost 65,000 similar weapons have been discovered within the National Police.

More:
http://colombiareports.co/germany-halts-exportation-license-arms-manufacturer-arms-found-colombia/

[abakan]

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