ALHR joins Open Letter calling on Australian Government to honour Cluster Munitions treaty obligations

July 6, 2011

On 6 July 2011, an open letter was sent to Australia’s Defense Minister, Foriegn Affairs Minister and Attorney General regarding the proposed legislation in Australia that would implement the Convention on Cluster Munitions and enable Australia to ratify and become a State Party to the Convention.

ALHR President Stephen Keim SC added his name to the list of 48 signatories, which included the former chief of the Australian defence force, former members of the Australian cabinet and respected advocates of human rights and international law.

ALHR has drawn attention to the fundamental flaws in the proposed legislation to implement the Convention: it allows Australian troops to directly and actively assist in the use of cluster bombs. It also explicitly allows non-state parties to stockpile cluster bombs on Australian soil and permits them to transit cluster bombs through Australian ports and airspace.

You can read the full text of the letter below, and find out more about the issue at www.stopclustermunitions.org

Open Letter to the Defence Minister, Foreign Minister and Attorney-General