SOUTH AMERICAN STATE-OWNED MANUFACTURERS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EQUIPMENT

South American state owned manufacturers

South American state-owned companies that produce law enforcement equipment, providing information on the goods they produce, transfers, commercial alliances and promotional activity.  Company ownership provides states with additional control over the manufacture and trade of law enforcement equipment, but also comes with human rights obligations.

 

The production of goods with no use other than for the purposes of torture or other forms of ill-treatment, or the transfer of law enforcement equipment to actors with a proven record of repression and torture using such equipment, would likely amount to a violation of international law. However, as has been pointed out by Omega and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in a previous report, there is a risk of undue political influence being brought to bear when states both issue export licences and own the factories producing law enforcement equipment. Rather than recommending state ownership of arms factories, Omega emphasises the added responsibility of states when they hold an ownership stake in such factories.

The majority of this information was published on company websites and information reported by the defence trade press is also included.

For more, see our report, Tools of Torture and Repression in South America: Use, Manufacture and Trade.

Published: July 2016

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