MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - More than 130 Chinese companies sell various torture devices overseas, furthering human rights violations, killings and abuses, Amnesty International reports.
“Increasing numbers of Chinese companies are profiting from the trade in tools of torture and repression, fuelling human rights abuses across the world,” said the Amnesty representative Patrick Wilcken.
The range of manufactured and exported tools varies from handcuffs and tear gas, which can be legitimately used for law-enforcement purposes, to electric shock stun batons and leg cuffs, which are considered to be exclusively designed for detainees’ torture and abuse.
According to Amnesty International, China is the only country to produce metal spiked batons, which can cause serious injuries and even a lethal effect. The human rights organization stated they should be prohibited due to their “inhumane nature”. Chinese companies also have become the leading manufacturers of other “cruel” devices, such as electric shock stun batons, used to hurt sensitive parts of a human’s body and neck combination cuffs, considered highly dangerous due to their “interference with basic functions such as breathing, blood circulation and nerve communication between the brain and body,” the Telegraph reports.
Most items are being exported to African and Asian countries, such as Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, Cambodia and Nepal, which are notorious for their frequent assault cases and abusive use of force.
Since law enforcement equipment is at high risk of being misused, it requires strict trade control and enforcement of current trade regulations. However, the Chinese government is reluctant to adopt necessary provisions and make the export of potentially dangerous items more transparent.
“This trade – which causes immense suffering – is flourishing because the Chinese authorities have done nothing to stop companies supplying these sickening devices for export or to prevent policing equipment falling into the hands of known human rights abuses,” Amnesty International reports.
Use of torture devices is also a common practice inside the country, especially in detention facilities. According to BBC, the Chinese Supreme Court prohibited use of torture as a means of interrogation. However, cases of maltreatment and abuse in custody are still widespread.
