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HRC58: Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Oral statement by the World Organisation Against Torture on behalf of the United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) and IBAHRI

Last week, Omega uncovered that several companies at IDEX were promoting equipment that we consider to be torture equipment and that the Special Rapporteur on Torture and other ill-treatment has previously determined to be items whose manufacture, promotion, sale, and use should be prohibited.

The International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) – one of the world's largest military and security trade fairs – is taking place this week in Abu Dhabi. Among the exhibitors this year are dozens of Israeli and Russian defence companies marketing their products as “battle-tested” and using their respective wars in Gaza and Ukraine as proof of their equipment’s effectiveness.

Omega has joined the 230+ civil society organisations from around the world calling for governments involved in the F-35 fighter jets programme to immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel.

The signatory organisations are deeply concerned about the human rights violations committed against the civilian population of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in the context of the conflict between the M23 armed group, supported by Rwandan special forces and the movement Alliance du Fleuve Congo (AFC), and the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), supported by the local militia called Wazalendo in eastern DRC in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.