HRW criticizes the “reprehensible” shipment of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine and asks the US to withdraw authorization

The NGO denounces that this measure “sets back international efforts to eradicate these indiscriminate weapons.”

Nov 21. () –

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated this Wednesday that the sending of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine by the United States Government “seriously threatens the civilian population” and has urged the Joe Biden Administration to “reverse this reprehensible decision.” ” which suspends the efforts of the international community to “eradicate these indiscriminate weapons.

“Biden’s decision to transfer anti-personnel landmines endangers civilian lives and sets back international efforts to eradicate these indiscriminate weapons,” criticized the NGO’s deputy director of crises, conflicts and weapons, Mary Wareham.

HRW has recalled that International Law “prohibits” anti-personnel landmines, weapons that do not distinguish between military and civilian. In fact, in 2023, 84 percent of all its victims were civilians. Furthermore, he regretted that the recent measure by the head of the White House “rejects the most successful humanitarian disarmament treaty of the last 25 years.”

For this reason, the NGO has called on the Democratic Government to take a step back and “reverse this reprehensible decision”, which will “only” increase “the suffering of the civilian population in the short and long term.” .

These words come after the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, confirmed this Wednesday that his Government will send anti-personnel mines to Ukraine to contribute to the defense against the Russian invasion, a turn that the head of the Pentagon has attributed to the change of military tactics by Russia.

HRW has also condemned Ukraine’s position in accepting and using these weapons, as it “risks further violating the Mine Ban Treaty” of 1997, of which, unlike Russia and the United States, the European country is a member. signatory.

Likewise, the NGO has denounced the “repeated” use of anti-personnel mines in Ukrainian territory by the Russian Army since its large-scale invasion in February 2022. “But this does not justify the transfer and use of prohibited weapons,” it declared. Wareham. “Respecting international protections for civilians means working to ensure that anti-personnel mines are not used again,” the organization recalled.