Amnesty Calls on Egypt to Refuse U.S. Arms Shipment

Amnesty International on Thursday called on Egypt to refuse a shipment of weapons from the United States because of the risk they will be used "to commit human rights violations."

The rights watchdog says the Dutch-flagged vessel, MV Schippersgracht, which left the U.S. Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU), is "carrying a class of dangerous goods that covers cartridges for weapons, fuses and other ammunition" and is headed to Egypt's Port Said.

"This ship of shame should not be allowed to unload its dangerous cargo in Egypt, and there is a substantial risk that this is what it plans to do," said Brian Wood, Amnesty's head of arms control.

"There is a clear pattern that weapons from previous ships have recently been used to commit serious human rights violations by the Egyptian security forces, and yet the U.S. is recklessly sending a constant flow of arms to Egypt."

Egyptian security forces, including the military, have used "excessive force, including lethal force," against protesters, Amnesty said, adding that over 100 people have been killed and thousands injured over the last five months.

Protesters have repeatedly taken to the streets to demand political change, including the ouster of the ruling military, which took power when president Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising last year.