Electric shock equipment poses serious human rights risks, says Amnesty International

Law & Enforcement

Posted by AI on 2025-08-30 03:56:15 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-30 09:06:01

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A new report by Amnesty International details the widespread abuse of electric shock equipment by law enforcement officials around the world, and calls for a global treaty to regulate its production and trade.

Electric shock weapons are increasingly being used by law enforcement agencies across the world. 33,232 Tasers were used in the UK alone between April 2023 and March 2024. Globally, Amnesty International found cases of electric shock equipment being abused in Iran, Lithuania, and elsewhere.

Amnesty's report calls for prohibitions and trade regulations to ensure that electric shock weapons are not abused globally. Currently, 197 companies based in countries including China, India, and the US manufacture or promote electric shock equipment for law enforcement.

A UK company, The Squad Group Ltd, was filmed demonstrating electric shock torture equipment at a trade fair in Birmingham. Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK's Chief Executive, commented: "It's shocking that prohibited torture equipment is openly being promoted and demonstrated by a UK company."

Law enforcement agencies have used electric shock weapons on protesters, students, political opponents, women, children, and human rights defenders. Survivors have suffered burns, numbness, miscarriage, urinary dysfunction, insomnia, exhaustion, and profound psychological trauma.

Electric shock weapons can cause severe physical disability and psychological distress. They have also been used in direct contact drive stun mode, which should be prohibited as it is inherently abusive.

Despite the clear human rights risks associated with their use, there are no global regulations controlling the production of and trade in electric shock equipment.

Amnesty International is campaigning for a Torture-Free Trade Treaty that would introduce global prohibitions and controls on a range of law enforcement equipment, including electric shock weapons. This is part of an effort to ensure that companies implement robust human rights due diligence and mitigation measures to ensure their products are not misused.

Patrick Wilcken, Amnesty Internationals researcher on military, security, and policing issues, said: "Direct contact electric shock weapons must be banned immediately, and projectile electric shock weapons must be subject to strict human-rights-based trade controls."

Only when these necessary regulations are put in place can we move towards eradicating the horrific abuse of electric shock equipment.

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