Here is an example comment you can post on their Facebook pages.
“Madame De Sarnez/Monsieur Bridey, a recent Amnesty International report showed how French arms are used to crush dissent in Egypt.
France is party to human rights violations!
I demand that France immediately halts transfers of arms to Egypt that can be used for internal repression. I also demand that France is more transparent and that elected representatives finally exercise oversight on this matter and introduce a mechanism to ensure that it does not happen again!”
Facebook page of Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Marielle De Sarnez
Facebook page of Chair of Defence Committee, Jean-Jacques Brideay
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Marielle De Sarnez: [email protected]
Chair of Defence Committee, Jean-Jacques Brideay: [email protected]
Madame President, / Mr President,
I am writing to express my concern on the subject of French arms transfers to Egypt between 2012 and 2014, and French arms sales more generally, which have continued to increase since then, making Egypt France’s biggest customer. A recent Amnesty International report entitled “Egypt: How French arms were used to crush dissent” describes how France supplied more than 200 armoured vehicles to Egypt between 2012 and 2014 after the repression of protests following the 25 January 2011 uprising. Some of these vehicles were deployed by the forces of the Ministry of Interior to crush dissent. For example, on 14 August 2013, the day of the Rabaa massacre, the security forces used excessive and lethal force. Nobody has been held to account for these atrocities.
Dispersion of the Rabaa sit-in was an important turning point for human rights in Egypt. Since then, the security forces have intensified their human rights abuses and varied their methods, carrying out forced disappearances and extrajudicial executions on an unprecedented scale. On 21 August 2013, member states of the European Union decided to suspend export licences for all equipment likely to be used for repression in Egypt. However, many member states, including France, have continued to supply military and security equipment to Egypt. Meanwhile, France was negotiating, signing and ratifying the Arms Trade Treaty. The French government has provided no information to parliament about these transfers of armoured vehicles to the armed forces and their subsequent transfer to the security forces.
I would like to ask you to take action, to bring about an immediate halt to French transfers of arms that could be used for internal repression. I would also like to ask you to press the government to be genuinely transparent towards parliament on the subject of French arms exports. We have the right to know, for example, the types and quantities of arms that France is exporting. Finally, I would like to ask you to press for improved parliamentary oversight of French arms exports authorised by the government, so as to ensure that France is fulfilling its international obligations.
Thank you for the attention that you would pay for my request and please accept, Mr. President / Madam President, the expression of my best consideration.
Yours faithfully
