The petition was presented by representatives of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), the National Society for Human Rights, Breaking the Wall of Silence, International Action Network on Small Arms (Iansa) and Gun Free Namibia.
The people who signed the petition come from all walks of life and all regions of the world, including Africa. They opposed the delivery of the Chinese arms aboard the An Yue Jiang ship to Zimbabwe in April. Now they want a moratorium to prevent future military and security equipment transfers by sea, air or land which could be used to violate human rights in Zimbabwe, said a statement from LAC.
China has been the main arms supplier to Zimbabwe in the past few years. South Africa and Brazil have also supplied arms and ammunition, while Israel has supplied riot control equipment. Mozambique and South Africa have also had a policy to allow the transit of arms to Zimbabwe.