CANSEC promotes participation of Peruvian military despite Amnesty International report about lethal state repression

Still from CADSI video promoting CANSEC 2023.

One of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) ads on YouTube promoting the upcoming CANSEC arms show in Ottawa includes an image of the Peruvian military at a past CANSEC.

CANSEC will take place this year on May 31 and June 1 at the EY Centre in Ottawa.

In February 2023, Amnesty International reported: “Since the beginning of the massive protests in different areas of the country in December 2022, the Army and National Police of Peru (PNP) have unlawfully fired lethal weapons and used other less lethal weapons indiscriminately against the population, especially against Indigenous people and campesinos (rural farmworkers) during the repression of protests, constituting widespread attacks.”

It adds: “During the investigation in Ayacucho, Andahuaylas, Chincheros and Lima between 29 January and 11 February, Amnesty International received information regarding 46 cases of possible human rights violations and documented 12 cases of deaths from the use of firearms.”

Among their recommendations, Amnesty notes: “State authorities must end the use of lethal force to disperse protests and avoid using less lethal weapons like pellets.”

To read more, see Peru: Lethal state repression is yet another example of contempt for the Indigenous and campesino population (February 16, 2023).

Peru at CANSEC

While the image in the video is undated, Infodensa.com has previously reported on the Peruvian Navy at CANSEC.

Their report notes: “The Embassy of Canada in Peru has sent invitations to the Peruvian Navy (MGP) for officers of the institution to attend the Cansec 2018 defence fair and the technical visits that will be carried out as a preamble.”

The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), the Ottawa-based federal government agency that promotes exports, has also posted: “At CANSEC 2014, CCC led eight foreign delegations visiting from Argentina, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Kuwait, Mexico, Peru, and Saudi Arabia.”

CADSI has also highlighted that in 2014 there were: “17: International official delegations in attendance (Argentina; Bahrain; Chile; Denmark; Equatorial Guinea; Israel; Italy; Kuwait; Mexico; New Zealand; Oman; Peru; United States; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom), 13 Embassies with a total of 30 nations.”

CANSEC now notes “50+ international delegations” will be present this year, but does not make public the list of participating countries.

Shut Down CANSEC, May 31

PBI-Canada will be present at the CANSEC arms show in Ottawa this coming Wednesday May 31 to help amplify concerns about arms sales and human rights violations.

For more on the upcoming mobilization against CANSEC on May 31, please see this World Beyond War webpage.