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: Harvard International Law Journal Digest

?Lord of War? arrested in Thailand

By bwessel

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On March 6, infamous weapons dealer Viktor Bout was arrested in Bangkok. Bout?s role in supplying weapons to some of the world?s deadliest conflicts had earned him the nickname ?Merchant of Death,? and he is believed to have inspired Nicholas Cage?s character in the film ?Lord of War.?

While praising Bout?s capture, Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, called on Thailand to ratify the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. According to Costa, ratifying this treaty would ?make it easier to bring criminals of [Bout?s] ilk to justice, for example through mutual legal assistance and extradition.? Costa also encouraged states to ratify the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts, and Components and Ammunition, known as the UN Firearms Protocol.

According to the UNODC, nearly 1 billion guns are in circulation throughout the world, and three fourths of them are in civilian hands. Every year, 8 million guns are manufactured, along with twice the amount of ammunition that would be needed to kill the world?s entire population.

The story is available here.

Full post as published by Harvard International Law Journal Digest on March 19, 2008 (boomark / email).