On Thursday, Amnesty International demanded a world, legally binding agreement to regulate the use of electric shock devices like stun guns and electric shock truncheons.
The rights check claimed that law enforcement organizations were using the “inherently aggressive” equipment for” torture and other ill-treatment” in nations like Iran, Venezuela, and China.
According to a report from the London-based organization, energy surprise equipment was being used in a variety of detention facilities, including prisons, mental health facilities, and immigrant and refugee detention centers.
” Immediate contact energy shock weapons can result in serious suffering, long-lasting real illness, and emotional distress. According to Patrick Wilcken, researcher on defense, security, and policing issues for Amnesty International, prolonged use can lead to death.
The study also examined the “escalating” use of projectile electric shock weapons ( PESWs ), which attach to the target and can elicit an immobilizing shock.
PESWs may occasionally play reasonable roles in law protection, but they are frequently mistreated, including in instances of “unnecessary and discriminatory use,” according to the report.
According to Wilcken, “direct call electric shock arms must be instantly prohibited and PESWs subject to strict human-rights-based business handles.”
There are no” clear human rights risks” to the production and sale of electric shock gear, he continued.
This lack of clarity is made even more acute when PESWs are used for abuse and other forms of maltreatment because reports frequently do not specify whether the weapon was used away or rather was used in “drive stun” setting as a primary contact weapon.
According to Amnesty, the most severe injuries associated with the use of PESWs included fires, seizures, arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeat, as well as the infiltration of the skull, attention, internal organs, and testicle.
The use of PESWs may be set at a higher level because of the high risks of primary and secondary injury, according to Wilcken.
These arms should only be used in situations where there is a significant risk of serious injury or a threat to life that cannot be contained by less drastic measures, he said.
According to the review, at least 197 businesses, primarily based in China, India, and the United States, were involved in producing or marketing strong phone energy shock products for law enforcement.
Over 18, 000 law enforcement agencies in more than 80 countries are using TASER types, which are the most frequently used PESWs, according to US-based Axon Business.
A network of over 80 organizations around the world supports an asylum called for a treaty regulating the sale and use of various types of law enforcement tools.
Based on research conducted between 2014 and 2014 in over 40 places, the review” I StillCan’t Sleep at Night: The Global Abuse of Electric Shock Equipment” is a synthesis.
