Spiked batons, neck-chains and shock shields: Report slams China's 'tools of torture' trade
Amnesty has criticised China in a new report for failing to regulate the production and trade of excessively violent law enforcement equipment such as spiked batons or thumb cuffs.
The human rights advocacy group Amnesty International has criticised China in a new report for failing to regulate the production and international trade of excessively violent law enforcement equipment such as spiked batons or thumb cuffs.
The report, released on Tuesday by Amnesty and the industry consultancy Omega Research Foundation, said more Chinese companies than ever before produce equipment that goes beyond what law enforcers need to rein in criminals.
While some of these products, such as handcuffs or ordinary batons, have legitimate use in policing, many others are described as “intrinsically cruel and inhumane”. The rights group calls on the Chinese government to better regulate and, in some cases, suspend production and exports of what it calls "tools of torture".
“Increasing numbers of Chinese companies are profiting from the trade in tools of torture and repression, fuelling human rights abuses across the world,” Patrick Wilcken, a London-based security trade and human rights researcher for Amnesty said in a statement.
The group identified 134 Chinese companies manufacturing or trading law enforcement equipment, compared to only 28 such companies ten years ago.
