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We have pleasure to present you the campaign of civic association NESEHNUTÍ (Independent Ecological-Social Movement). More information concerning our activities, important documents, tables etc. is available largely in the Czech language. But if you are interested in any special and particular information, feel free to conatct us any time on our e-mail adress: brno@nesehnuti.cz . We will be pleased to provide you with the requested information. Thank you.

The Czech republic is the signatory of 14 international agreements concerning the business with the arms. Apart from the others, it is also the EU Code of conduct on arms exports that states:

to respect of human rights in the country of final destination,

not to issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression,

not to allow exports which would provoke or prolong armed conflicts or aggraved existing tensions or conflicts in the country of final destination,

not to issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the intended recipient would use the proposed export aggressively against another country or to assert by force a territorial claim.

"Arms or Human Rights?" Is the name of antimilitarist campaigne conducted by the Independent social-ecological movement "NESEHNUTÍ".

"NESEHNUTÍ" has been interested in the problem of business with arms since its launch in 1997. Our work starts at reality that situation concerning the business with weapons in the Czech republic is worse than silly. The Czech republic normally exports its weapons into a lot of countries (for example Algeria, Angola, Kampuchea, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe) where the war is being waged or terrorist groups are operating; to régimes which are controlled by military juntas or by dictator; or into the countries which are serving as a place of transhipment to reexport them (Georgia, the Yemen). Antimilitarist group "NESEHNUTÍ" concentrates mainly on monitoring of such export. It is quite a hard task because most information on this kind of export, including releasing licences for it, is a subject of top secret or protected by the trade secret. That is why we closely observe some different information resources - local or foreign - that give us an opportunity to record such exports and make surveys and charts of them.

The information that has been received in this way is used to inform the public, to hand it over to journalists. We utilise legal means (initiation, request for information, complaint, petition) to influence responsible state authorities; we also organise the direct actions (demonstrations, happenings) with the aim to make responsible state officials stop the export arms into the conflicting countries, we arrange the public discussions combined with the projection of film documents, we ensure travelling of photoexhibition on this topic, etc.

Our aim is to stop the abusement of the Czech weapons for supression of human rights. We try hard to get the business with weapons under the public control.

We also pay attention to one of the biggest European fairs (exhibitions?) of arms "IDET" that is held in Brno every two years. Almost all important munition factories are presented here on this occasion under the protection of governmental authorities from the Czech Republic and from some member states in NATO. IDET which usually is presented as a "Exhibition of Defence and Security Technologies" promotes munition firms with business strategy based on the armament of both sides the conflict, corrupt practices, embargo breaking, expansion of their own influence without any regard to the consequences in international security, deliveries to the countries where the civil war is being waged, and to the countries where the human rights are broken by the dictatorship. There are also the manufactures of the anti-personnel landmines. Activity of NESEHNUTÍ against the IDET Fair is targeted to two basic problems. On the one hand we reveal the questionable nature of the similar fairs or exhibitions - we have published extensive information (material) about exhibiting firms, we arrange demonstrations, concerts, exhibitions, happenings, projections of films about breaking of human rights in war or directly about international business with arms. On the other hand we try to appeal to the state and local authorities to stop their formal protection of the fair.

This project is supported by Royal Netherlands and netherland Foundation X - Y.