HRW Urges US Congress to Block Turkey's Cluster Munitions Transfer to Ukraine
HRW says the package includes more than 10 million explosive submunitions and could expose civilians to unexploded remnants.
- On Wednesday, Aug. 12, Human Rights Watch urged Congress to block a $256 million transfer of US-origin cluster munitions from Turkey to Ukraine, warning the decades-old weapons pose serious risks to civilians.
- The US State Department notified Congress on Aug. 6 of the proposed transfer, which includes 12 M270 launchers held in Turkish stockpiles since 1987.
- Weapons in the proposed transfer include 70 M39 ATACMS missiles, 2,524 M26 rockets, and 47,000 M509A1 projectiles, containing more than 10 million explosive submunitions.
- "Dumping obsolete cluster munitions into a conflict creates a humanitarian liability for civilians that is tragically foreseeable," said Nicole Widdersheim, HRW's deputy Washington director.
- While the US is not party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Congress has imposed export restrictions since 2009 and may pass a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block the deal.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Türkiye wants to send Ukraine old US-made cluster munitions—one human rights group is fighting to stop it
Human Rights Watch is asking the US Congress to block Türkiye from transferring tens of thousands of decades-old cluster munitions to Ukraine. The State Department had earlier told Congress it is prepared to authorize the deal, which Ukraine wants to strengthen its firepower against the Russian invasion. The move would restrict Ukraine's weapons supply but not Russia's, because Kyiv depends on partners who can block a transfer while Moscow answ…
These are tens of thousands of rockets and artillery shells containing more than 10 million explosive submunitions, which have been stored in Turkish warehouses for decades.
Turkey has requested approval from Washington to transfer $256 million worth of US-licensed cluster munitions from its inventory to Ukraine. Human Rights Watch has warned that the transfer of these weapons, which threaten civilians, carries the risk of a 'war crime'.
Human Rights Watch urges US not to transfer outdated cluster munitions from Türkiye to Ukraine
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling on the US to reject Türkiye’s request to allow the retransfer to Ukraine of tens of thousands of cluster munitions that have been in Türkiye’s stockpiles for decades, according to a report published on the organization’s website on Wednesday.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 83% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
