By As per the Campaign Against Arms Trade report cited earlier, the UK government has granted arms licenses worth £88 million to Sri Lanka between 2012-2022, with the total value of arms licenses granted in 2013 alone amounting to £37.4 million.
The top 10 types of arms export licenses granted by the UK government to Sri Lanka during this period were small arms ammunition, military helmets, body armor, components for body armor, assault rifles, components for assault rifles, weapon sights, rifles, pistols, and components for rifles.
The British government has expressed concerns about the situation in Sri Lanka, including the possibility of human rights violations and the deteriorating judicial independence. However, it has not taken any concrete steps to address these concerns or halt arms sales to Sri Lanka.
Human rights abuses committed by the Government of Sri Lanka since 2012 include the use of broad police powers to arrest and detain suspects without trial under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, torture and ill-treatment of detainees, and the suppression of peaceful protests and harassment of government critics, human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists. Despite these concerns, the UK continues to sell weapons and arms to Sri Lanka.
