EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION CONDUCTED BY THE OMEGA RESEARCH FOUNDATION INTO THE TRADE IN AND USE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EQUIPMENT USED FOR TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT IN OSCE PARTICIPATING STATES ACROSS SEVERAL REGIONS.
This briefing paper seeks to demonstrate the need for international measures to control the trade in and use of law enforcement equipment which is prone to being used for torture and other ill-treatment. It divides law enforcement equipment into two categories – 1) technologies which could have a legitimate law enforcement use if employed correctly but which are often used inappropriately (e.g. ‘tear gas’ or hand-held batons) and 2) technologies which have no practical use other than for the purposes of torture and other ill-treatment (e.g. electric shock batons, thumb cuffs) – and illustrates the fact that both categories of equipment have been used to perpetrate torture and other ill-treatment in OSCE participating States in different regions. The paper also provides information on a sample of companies involved in the manufacture and trade of such equipment in each of these regions.
