Amnesty International (AI) criticized the French government and accused it of breaking its own rules over arms exports to Egypt, which according to the NGO have been used for the internal repression of civilians. Report published by AI on 16 October showed Egyptian security forces used French supplied military equipment to violently crush protests between 2012 and 2015. Despite EU ban and zero accountability measures by the Egyptian government, France continued to transfer arms to Egypt. Between 2012 and 2016, France supplied more arms to Egypt than it had in the previous 20 years, delivering more than 1.4 billion euros worth of military and security equipment in 2017 alone. France and other EU members are required to deny export licenses for arms sales if there is a clear risk the equipment or technology may be used for internal repression. “It is appalling that France has continued to provide Egypt with military equipment after it was used in one of the most deadly assaults on protesters witnessed anywhere in the 21st century,” said Najia Bounaim, North Africa Campaigns Director at Amnesty International.