Russia/Georgia: Cluster Bombs Harm Shows Need for Countries (Like US) to Join Ban|Human Rights Watch

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April 14, 2009


The loss of lives and livelihoods from cluster munitions used by Russia and Georgia during the August 2008 armed conflict reinforces the importance of the new treaty banning the weapon, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The United States, China, Russia, Georgia, and other countries opposed to the ban treaty are meeting in Geneva this week in a last-ditch attempt to conclude a separate, far weaker treaty.

The 80-page report, "A Dying Practice: Use of Cluster Munitions by Russia and Georgia in August 2008," is the first comprehensive report on cluster munition use by Russia and Georgia in their week-long conflict over the separatist enclave of South Ossetia.

Human Rights Watch field investigations in August, September, and October 2008 documented dozens of civilian deaths and injuries from the use of cluster munitions, including casualties after the fighting ended. Unexploded submunitions continue to threaten civilians. Despite considerable material evidence of Russian cluster munition use, Russia has denied using them.

"Cluster munitions always kill and maim civilians, during the fighting and long afterward," said Bonnie Docherty, researcher in the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch and author of the report. "A comprehensive prohibition is the only real solution. So-called responsible use of cluster munitions is a myth, and nations should resist efforts to weaken the ban."

The new Convention on Cluster Munitions, which opened for signature in December 2008, categorically bans cluster munitions. It also requires nations to clear contaminated areas and to aid affected individuals and communities. To date, 96 states have signed the treaty, and six states have ratified it. It will enter into force and become legally binding six months after the 30th ratification.

At a four-day conference that started in Geneva today, states that have opposed the convention are seeking to reach a consensus on an alternative legal instrument that would regulate, not ban, cluster munitions. These states support a draft protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons, which would allow future use of the same cluster munitions used by both sides in Georgia.


read: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/04/14/russiageorgia-cluster-bombs-harm-shows-need-join-ban

The 80-page report, "A Dying Practice: Use of Cluster Munitions by Russia and Georgia in August 2008
http://www.hrw.org/node/82158