South Africans are not alone in grappling with the balance between the financial pressures to boost its arms trade, and the cost to human rights.
Britain this week deported Saudi dissident Mohammed al-Mas’ari to Dominica instead of considering his application for asylum. He had not breached any condition for political refugee status. It was not suggested that he had broken British law or promoted terrorism. No-one cast doubt on his claims to have a well-founded fear of persecution if he returned home. Indeed, his application for asylum has not been examined at all: it has been refused “without substantive
The reasons why he is being banished was set out with total clarity by Home Office Minister Ann Widdecombe: “We have close trade relations with a friendly state (Saudi Arabia) which has been the subject of considerable criticism by Mr al-Mas’ari.”
The UK government is scared witless by the prospect of upsetting the Saudis. John Major’s administration, like its predecessors, is obsessed with selling its weapons abroad.
The South African government has not clearly decided where its priorities would lie.