According to the human rights watchdog Amnesty International, businesses making these types of implements are flourishing in Europe and exporting their products in spite of an E.U. ban on the trade. In a report released earlier this month, Amnesty said firms in Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic and Italy were selling items like electroshock "sleeves" and "cuffs" capable of delivering 50,000-volt shocks, spiked batons and fixed wall restraints to at least nine countries, including Pakistan, China and the U.A.E. Amnesty, which co-published the report with the London-based Omega Research Foundation, says the companies are using legal loopholes to evade restrictions put in place after the E.U. passed a law in 2006 banning the sale of torture equipment.
One of the companies responded with:
Sirien makes products like electric-shock stun shields and S-200 projectile stun guns — devices that export manager Erwin Lafosse insists save lives. "If you want to ban electroshock pistols, then policemen will have to use firearms to defend themselves," he says. "The problem with Amnesty International is that they only see the bad side to everything. Yes, these can be used to torture someone, but so can all sorts of ordinary devices like knives, forks and spoons."
So is this a case of the media making big headlines on an non-issue or this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed?
Personally, I think this is a big headline about a small attention getting issue that pulls in the broader picture of the E.U. providing arms and technology to countries that have every intention of using them to kill people. The E.U. can point the finger at the US all it wants, but a quick look in the mirror will show that the US isn't the only hypocrite in the world.
cross posted at Word Press The Moderate American
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