Viktor Bout

Arms expert Kathi Lynn Austin said:

The Viktor Bout case shows need for global rules on arms trading – a global arms trade treaty.

With the trial of Viktor Bout nearly underway and the UN negotiations on an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) starting in the summer of 2012, this briefing paper seeks to provide a deeper un

The Arms Trade Treaty is a powerful tool in helping prevent weapons transfers to government security forces where there is a likelihood that they will be used to seriously violate international human rights and humanitarian law.

Arms traffickers can too easily navigate the patchwork of national arms regulations, fuelling conflict while avoiding arrest and extradition, because of the lack of global regulation of the arms trade.

Arms traffickers can too easily navigate the patchwork of national arms regulations, fuelling conflict while avoiding arrest and extradition, because countries have been too weak or reluctant to pass an international arms trade treaty, says international agency Oxfam.