PRESENTED JOINTLY WITH THE CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND INTERNATIONAL LAW (CEJIL)
The Omega Research Foundation and the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) have presented a written submission to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) in response to Mexico’s request for an Advisory Opinion concerning the role of private firearms companies and their impact on human rights.
In the submission, Omega and CEJIL focus on the responsibilities of States and business enterprises with regard to grave human rights violations caused by the use of so-called “less lethal weapons”, particularly concerning the rights to life and personal integrity. These weapons include chemical irritants such as tear gas and pepper spray, kinetic impact projectiles, and many others, and their misuse has led to countless serious injuries and deaths.
Omega and CEJIL believe that the time is ripe for the creation of Inter-American standards on the manufacture, trade and acquisition of less lethal weapons. We respectfully urge the Court to analyse the advances made in other regions and at the United Nations, and to establish clear standards that prohibit inherently cruel weapons and oblige States to control activities concerning those weapons whose misuse can lead to torture, other ill-treatment or even death.
