Amnesty International and Omega call for regulation of "trade in torture"

More than 30 years after the worldwide ban on torture, people continue to be tortured and torture equipment continues to be produced and sold across the planet (image: US military prison at Guantanamo).

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At a time when a meeting of the "Alliance for a trade without torture", bringing together 60 States, Amnesty International and the Omega research foundation are being held at the United Nations, are publishing a report to denounce this trade in instruments of torture and call for regulate it urgently.

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More than 30 years after the worldwide ban on torture, people continue to be tortured and torture equipment continues to be produced and sold across the planet.

This trade in instruments, used to injure or maintain order and the use of which is inherently abusive, must be the subject of stricter supervision, believe these two organizations.

“ 

We make a very clear distinction between instruments of torture.

For example, you have inherently abusive equipment, which is exclusively used for torture, such as spiked or electric shock batons used against prisoners and which we want to see totally banned,

explains Patrick Wilcken, director of the Business, Security and Human Rights program. from Amnesty International.

Or weighted ankle shackles that should not be used anywhere for policing.

Finally you have more conventional equipment like handcuffs, sticks or law enforcement material that should be subject to strict control taking into account human rights, otherwise these instruments will continue to be used to torture and mistreat people both in detention and in protests around the world.

"

And Patrick Wilcken added: "  

What we are asking is that the States and the companies which produce and export this law enforcement equipment carry out a risk assessment in order to ensure that the importing countries respect the human rights and whether there is a high risk that these countries will use them inappropriately.

In which case the trade should not take place.

We are firmly convinced that states but also companies have a responsibility in terms of human rights and must respect them in all their business activities.

 "

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  • Human rights

  • UN