Northern Ireland

Amnesty International welcomes the news that the Department of Justice is to establish a new engagement group on human trafficking. This will bring together the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Health and Social Care agencies and NGOs, to work collaboratively to tackle human trafficking in Northern Ireland.

By working jointly they can avoid duplication, share information, establish best practice, assess emerging trends and establish effective prevention measures.

UK/China/Nigeria

AI welcomed news that British arms dealer Gary Hyde had been found guilty on charges of illicit arms deals for helping to ship tens of thousands of assault rifles and 32 million rounds of ammunition from China to Nigeria without a licence. He was also found guilty of concealing commission payments.

His actions have impacted on the world's worst human rights crisis zones, involving unlawful killings, rape and torture.

Oliver Sprague (AI) commented that less than a decade ago no laws were in place to control such UK arms dealers.