February 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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February 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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Amnesty International releases torture industry report 28 February 2001
Human rights activist organization Amnesty International last October launched a year long Stop The Torture campaign, which includes the new Web site stoptorture.org, demonstrations, seminars, and published reports. On Monday they released a major exposé titled Stopping The Torture Trade, whose 64 pages describe the global business of selling torture weapons and restraint devices. We’ve provided a link to a summary page on Amnesty’s Web site, from which you can download the full text as a PDF file. Amnesty reports “...during 1998-2000 at least 185 businesses in 25 countries were involved in the manufacture, distribution, supply or brokering of devices that are always or sometimes used to inflict torture. Of these, the United States is by far the most prolific, with at least 74 US companies involved in marketing electro-shock weapons, leg irons, shackles, thumbcuffs [including ones with serrated inner edges] and other restraints. Other countries with several such companies include China, France, Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Israel, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan.” Amnesty is calling for all countries to adopt international human rights provisions in regard to the torture trade, which would largely shut it down. For example, Article 33 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules For The Treatment Of Prisoners states “...instruments of restraint should never be used except as a precaution against escape during a transfer; on medical grounds by direction of the medical officer of the prison or detention centre; or by order of the director of the institution, if other methods of control fail, to prevent a prisoner from injuring himself or others or from damaging property. They must not be applied for any longer than is strictly necessary and must never be applied as a punishment.” For more information or to learn how you can help, check our links. | Torture Trade report | | Amnesty International | | Stop Torture Web site | | top of page | |
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