News that the Arms Trade Treaty will pass into international law by the end of the year has been welcomed by the dad of an East Kilbride toddler shot and killed as he slept in his pushchair while on holiday in Turkey.
David Grimason has been campaigning for better gun control since his two-year-old son Alistair was killed by a stray bullet while he and his mum Oslem were visiting her parents in Turkey in June 2003.
On hearing the news that a group of states will jointly announce they have ratified the Treaty at an event at the United Nations in New York – taking it beyond the 50 required to enter into force – David (42) said: “Today marks a crucial step in bringing the Arms Trade Treaty into force. The fact that 50 states have ratified it so quickly shows just how important this Treaty is and just 90 days from today it will become international law.
“For me, this journey has been a highly personal one, my son was killed by a man with an illegal gun and everyone who loved him has suffered a terrible loss.
“Today brings hope that other families won’t have to experience that pain.”
The total number of countries who have signed the Treaty is 121 so far.
The Arms Trade Treaty is the first global agreement to regulate the 85billion dollar annual trade in arms and ammunition. Figures released by the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR in June showed 33million people fled armed violence in the previous 12 months.
Director of the Control Arms Coalition Anna Macdonald said: “The Arms Trade Treaty will enshrine into international law much-needed controls on the multi-billion-dollar arms trade for the first time.
“Civilians have been paying too high a price for the lack of global arms controls which have permitted arms and ammunition to be legally transferred into the hands of dictators and warlords.
“But the game is up now – those days are over. Now governments have the chance to change the arms trade for good and, if rigorously implemented, this treaty will save lives.”
To mark passing the landmark figure of 50 ratifications, Control Arms – the global civil society network advocating for the Arms Trde Treaty – has launched a new project called ‘50 celebrating 50’.
The project features 50 key individuals – including David Grimason – from across states, civil society and the UN, whose leadership has been vital to ensuring the ATT becomes a reality.
David said: “I truly welcome the work and commitment of so many people that have made this legislation possible. To stand amongst the ’50 celebrating 50’ is an honour and I look forward to continuing the campaign to ensure this treaty is properly enforced.”
Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “It is thanks to people like David Grimason that this Treaty will soon become law. Over more than a decade he has campaigned for the world to join forces to tackle the illegal flow of arms.
“Every day, up to 2000 people are killed by armed violence and millions more live in fear of rape, assault and displacement caused by weapons getting into the wrong hands.
“This human cost is truly disgusting and lives will be saved by this strong global action.”
David’s son Alistair was killed as he slept in his pram in a cafe when an argument broke out at a nearby table and a man, armed with an illegal gun, opened fire.
Local car salesman and taxi driver Daimi Akyuz was jailed for 30 years for shooting and killing little Alistair. The judge also sentenced him to 21 years for killing his intended victim, mobile salesman Ali Bektas, and seven years for wounding two other men during the same gunfight in a café in the fishing village of Foca on July 7, 2003. But this was commuted to 36 years – the maximum permitted under Turkish law.
Mr Grimason, who lived in Greenhills, where his parents still live, and who now lives in Aberdeen, has campaigned alongside Oxfam and the wider Control Arms coalition, for new global rules ever since.
