SAUDI ARABIA
Military Exports from Canada (1990-1999)
Year
Military Value of
Equipment Military
Types Exports
1999
6,10,11 43,093,371
1998
6,10,11,14 29,800,192
1997
3,6,10,11,14 82,474,645
1996
1,3,6,10,11,14 195,303,965
1995
6,11,14 167,926,562
1994
6,9,11 280,207,393
1995
6,7,11,14 218,998,798
1992
6,10,11,13,14 227,120,933
1991
2,4,7,11,13,14 18,362,069
1990
2,7,11,14 10,069,897
Total $1,273,357,825
Sources: Export of Military Goods from
Canada, Annual Reports 1990-1999. Published by the Export Controls Division,
Export and Import Controls Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade, Government of Canada. Web site: <http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/~eicb/>
-----------------------------------
Examples of Canadian Military Exports (1990s)
Atlantis Aerospace Corp.
• Naval
tactical simulation services
$24.3
million (1998)
Ploughshares Monitor, June 1999
• F-15S maintenance trainer (subcontract)
$20
million (1994)
Ploughshares Monitor, Sept. 1995
Bell Helicopter Textron
• 16 412 Bell helicopters
$120
million (1999)
Ploughshares Monitor, Sept. 2000
Bristol Aerospace Ltd.
• Naval
target systems
$5.5
million (Jan. 1996-June 1997)
Ploughshares Monitor, Sept. 1997
Diemaco
• Small
arms.
Value
unknown (date unknown)
Ploughshares Monitor, Sept. 1999
GM Canada - Deisel Division
Light-Armoured Vehicles (LAVs)
• $750
million for 1510 LAVs (1991)
Project Ploughshares’ Canadian Military
Industry Database
• $273
million (1993-1994)
Ploughshares Monitor, March 1996
• $219
million (1994)
Ploughshares Monitor, Sept. 1995
• $1.54
Billion (1998) LAV chassis upgrade (and 130 turret weapons, 260 machine guns,
ammo and support, subcontracted by a Belgian firm)
Raytheon Canada
• Hawk
air defence system components
Value
unknown (Jan.1996-Jun.1997)
Ploughshares Monitor, Sept. 1997
-----------------------------------
Canadian Government Promotes Military Exports
Military Trade Show
Arabian Security Equipment and Technology
Exhibition for the Police & Security Forces (ASTEX)
The Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade and Industry Canada have promoted ASTEX in several
publications. DFAIT describes it as: "the premier event for Saudi Arabia's
security technology market. It is the only international specialized exhibition
dedicated to the Kingdom's internal security needs. The opportunities are enormous.
* In
the past two decades, over US$200 billion worth of security equipment has been
purchased in the region;
* The
Middle East has the world's highest rate of security growth; 350% in the past
20 years;
* The
Middle East imports 37% of total world security exports;
* Saudi
Arabia accounts for 12% of global security equipment and sales;
* The
regional annual security budget exceeds US$60 billion, making it the world's
largest purchaser of security equipment.
Canadian
participation in ASTEX (1995) resulted in new business exceeding US$20 million
and the signing of a number of distribution agreements. This year, the Canadian Embassy in Riyadh
again is recruiting Canadian firms interested in seminar presentations to
senior officials and business people and arranging appointments with potential
distributors and government officials."
Source: "Securing Markets in Saudi
Arabia," CanadExport On-line, June 17, 1996 <http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/english/news/newsletr/canex/960614fe.htm>
-----------------------------------
Human Rights Violations (1999)
The government continued to ban political
parties and unions. Press censorship
was strictly enforced. Information on
human rights violations was severely limited.
There is no independent Bar Association to oversee lawyers’
activities. Access to the country by
international human rights organizations was restricted.
Those
suspected of political or religious opposition to the government could be
detained for long periods without charge or trial and held incommunicado, at
risk of torture, and be denied the most basic safeguards of a fair trial. The judiciary was subordinated to the
executive authority.
In
May, the government said the ban on women driving would not be lifted. In October, about 20 women were permitted to
observe a session of an appointed council of 90 male government advisers.
Political prisoners
Dozens were arrested on political or
religious grounds including foreign Christians, reportedly for non-violently
expressing religious beliefs. All were
released and deported, including 13 Filipinos who had reportedly participated
in a Christian service. They were held
incommunicado for nearly three weeks before release and deportation.
Some
Shi’a clerics were arrested, most reportedly as suspected political or
religious opponents of government.
Between
100 and 200 political prisoners arrested in previous years were still held
without trial. Some were suspects in
violent activities such as a 1996 bombing at a U.S. military base. Other political detainees were reportedly
held primarily for political views and criticising the state.
Releases
Two political prisoners, were released in
June. They were prominent religious
figures and critics of the government system who were arrested in 1994 after
public lectures. They had been held in
prison without charge or trial.
Torture and ill-treatment
Reports continued of torture, and cruel and
inhuman punishment. There was no
investigation into the case of a prayer leader who reportedly died in custody
in 1998. New information came to light
concerning torture which reportedly took place in previous years. Flogging and amputations were imposed,
although information about court cases and the carrying out such punishments
was limited.
Source: Amnesty International Report 2000.
<http://www.amnesty-usa.org/ailib/>
-----------------------------------
Labour Rights Violations (1999)
Trade unions are illegal. Collective
bargaining is prohibited.
Consultative Committees
The law provides for joint worker and
employer consultative committees. They discuss working conditions, but
employers set wages. Most private
sector workers have the right to strike after a conciliation board has ruled on
a dispute. Correspondingly, an employer can close down a workplace or sack
employees. Local courts can handle
individual disputes between a worker and employer.
Abusing Migrants
75% of the workforce are migrant workers.
They are dependent upon employers for residency rights and for permits to leave
the country and are thus vulnerable to abuse.
Source: Annual Survey of Violations of Trade
Union Rights (2000), International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
---
Migrant workers
Before the oil boom in the 1970s, migrant
workers were mainly from other Arab countries: Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, Jordan,
Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. The last decade’s explosion in investments
created a large demand for manual labour, filled initially by Pakistanis,
Indians and South Koreans, later including Indonesians, Nigerians and
Filipinos. They are employed in many kinds of skilled, semi-skilled or
unskilled jobs, in industry, teaching, medicine and domestic work. The
government policy is to replace as many foreign workers as possible with Saudi
citizens. In recent years, thousands of illegal workers were arrested and
deported. Migrant workers are estimated to comprise: 84% of doctors, 80% of
nurses, 55% of pharmacists and 25% of teachers.
Source: <http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/tunion/2000/index.html>
-----------------------------------
Child Labour Violations
* The
legal minimum age for employment is 13 but it is not applicable for household
domestic work, cattle herding, etc. Children play a small role in the work force.
(U.S. Dept. of State, Human Rights Report, 1998)
Trafficking in Children
* Trafficking
in children for forced begging persists. (U.S. Dept. of State, Human Rights
Report, 1999)
* Criminal
rings, consisting mostly of foreigners, bought and imported South Asian
children to Saudi Arabia for forced begging. Authorities returned at least 76
children to their own countries in 1999. (U.S. Dept. of State, Human Rights
Report, 1999)
* An
estimated 1,000-1,500 Indian children are smuggled to Saudi Arabia for begging.
(“How to earn big bucks: Rent a child to Chacha,” Asian Age, March 16, 1997,
cited in Child Workers in Asia, Apr.-Sept. 1997)
* Forced
child labour is not banned. Not many cases are reported, except in family
business and begging rings.
Prostitution and Trafficking
* Indonesian
women are reportedly trafficked as prostitutes to Saudi Arabia. Kenyan citizens were trafficked to Saudi
Arabia under the guise of employment opportunities. (U.S. Dept. of State, Human
Rights Report, 1999)
* Nepalese,
Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are trafficked through India to Eastern Europe
and Saudi Arabia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Meena Oudel, Oxfam Nepal, March 18,
1998)
Source: <http://www.globalmarch.org/worstformsreport/world/saudi-arabia.html>
-----------------------------------
TAKE ACTION!
Amnesty International (AI)
AI suggests the following to strengthen
labour rights in Saudi Arabia:
· Ask
unions to feature AI material in their publications, help with petitions,
exchange articles, issue statements or a joint leaflet;
· Send
visiting speakers to union meetings. Run stalls at union conferences. Join
union festivals, marches, publicity events and hand out copies of appeal
letters and leaflets.
· Host
a conference, seminar or training workshop with unions, NGOs and government
representatives;
· Arrange
joint lobbies and protestswith unions at national or local level, eg., media
work;
· Work
with unions to organise a national speakers’ tour;
· Unions
and their members can write to the Saudi Embassy.
AI has prepared a briefing document called:
“Saudi Arabia – End Secrecy End Suffering,” that provides a broad overview of
the fear and secrecy permeating every aspect of the state.
Contact: AI/Canada, 401-214 Montreal Rd.,
Ottawa ON K1L 1A4. Tel.: (613) 744-7667;
Web:<http://www.amnesty.org/>
---
Homes not Bombs (HNB)
Diemaco, located in Kitchener Ontario, makes
“light weapons” such as machine guns, assault rifles and grenade
launchers. It has “export experience”
with many countries including Saudi Arabia.
Since 1980, Diemaco received over $250 million from the Government of
Canada which considers it a “Centre of Excellence” in the making of “small
arms.” Diemaco has been the focus of
numerous protests and acts of nonviolent, civil disobedience organized by HNB
during the past eight months. When HNB
tried to dialogue with Diemaco and conduct an inspection of their facility in
January, two HNB members were arrested.
HNB planned a Mothers’ Day Picnic and Cooperative Badminton Festival
(May 13) at Diemaco to which employees were invited.
HNB
believes that the housing crisis in the region would not exist if the $250
million in tax money supplied to Diemaco by the Canadian government had been
used to build sustainable, affordable housing.
Contact: HNB, PO Box 73620, 509 St. Clair
Ave. W., Toronto ON M6C 1C0. Tel.:
(416) 651-5800; Email: <mailto:tasc@web.ca>