48 Grasping the nettle: Ending Europe’s Trade in Execution and Torture Technology commencing,230 and in 2013, the New Scientist reported that the pilot project was cancelled due in part to public opposition and concerns about the potential for abuse of the technology. It was also reportedly determined that the technology needed further evaluation before moving forward.231 Further research and development of this technology appears to have taken place, for example in May 2012, Raytheon, “For the first time anywhere” displayed and demonstrated, “its entire suite of nonlethal Silent Guardian® systems at the 2012 SOFEX trade show” in Jordan. 232 To date, at least one EU company, AT-Marine Oy233 which is based in Finland, has sought to market these devices. According to the Raytheon marketing material on the AT-Marine Oy website, Silent Guardian has, “Various applications for law enforcement, facility protection and homeland security.”234 [Emphasis added]. The Raytheon brochure states that: “The system’s antenna emits a focused beam of millimeter wave energy. The beam travels at the speed of light and penetrates the skin to a depth of 1/64 of an inch, producing an intolerable heating sensation that causes the targeted individuals to instinctively flee or take cover. The sensation ceases immediately when an individual moves out of the beam or the operator steers the beam away.” 235 It also states that, “Silent Guardian does not cause injury because of the shallow penetration depth of the millimeter wave.” 236 [Emphasis added]. In addition to the original Silent Guardian, Raytheon has also developed the Silent Guardian SG-R50 which is described as a “point defense short-range deterrent.” 237 According to Raytheon material promoted on the AT-Marine Oy website, “Silent Guardian SG-R50 can be used at sea or on land for commercial high-value asset and personnel protection, industriaHl security, and law enforcement and corrections.” 238 [Emphasis added]. On 28 April 2015, in response to an information request from Amnesty International and Omega, AT-Marine Oy stated, “We have not marketed… the ADS system in Finland for many years because there was no interest for it … unfortunately we forgot to remove all text … from our website. Now we have removed all Silent Guardian material from our website.”239 Amnesty International and Omega Recommendations: Amnesty International and Omega have concerns about the potential use of Silent Guardian and related ADS technology, particularly if it were to be employed for law enforcement purposes or in a correctional setting. Whilst some testing of ADS has been reported, a full, open and transparent testing and evaluation regime is needed to allay such concerns. Although the ADS is targetable and in certain smaller models the beam can be focused down on to a spot on an individual, the beam can also be widened resulting in either full body exposure, the targeting of more than one person at a time, or the targeting, in larger models, of a crowd indiscriminately. Such indiscriminate force would be contrary to Article 3 of the Basic Principles on the Use of Force & Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. Such concerns are exacerbated as the directed energy beam is silent and invisible making avoidance difficult. Consequently the target or targets may not be able to escape the effects of the beam, either because they are restricted or confined in a crowd or by physical structures. Furthermore, as the device is specifically designed to enforce compliance in an individual or group through the application of a painful (though allegedly non-harmful) stimulus, the device could be misused for ill-treatment or torture, potentially on a large scale. Consequently, controlling the trade 230 Hadhazy, A (2011) America’s Prisoners: Should we shoot them with a giant Ray Gun? The Christian Science Monitor, 3 February 2011 http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0203/America-s-prisoners-Should-we-shoot-them-with-a-giant-ray-gun accessed 16 March 2012. 231 Pain ray: The US military’s new agony beam weapon, New Scientist, Issue 2916, Hambling, D. 16th May 2013; See also: Less-thanLethal Active Denial Systems, Correctional News, 26th February 2014. Available at: http://www.correctionalnews.com/articles/2014/02/26/ less-lethal-active-denial-systems (accessed 27 April 2015). 232 Raytheon (2012) Raytheon Unveils Family of Non-Lethal Solutions at SOFEX, http://www.icn.com/en/pressreleases/2012/05/08/ Raytheon-unveils-nonleathal-solutions-/ (accessed 4 February 2015). 233 According to its website: “AT-Marine Oy imports and exports technical equipment and systems for both marine and industrial use and provides engineering, installation and service for these equipment and systems,” http://www.atmarine.fi/index.php?id=2 (accessed 14 May 2015). 234 Silent Guardian Protection System, Raytheon, undated, available from: http://www.atmarine.fi/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Silent%20Guardian%20Protection%20System%281%29.pdf (accessed 14 May 2015). 235 Silent Guardian Protection System, Raytheon (undated) op.cit. 236 Silent Guardian Protection System, Raytheon (undated) op.cit. 237 Silent Guardian SG-R50 Raytheon, undated, available from:. http://www.atmarine.fi/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Silent%20Guardian%20SGR50.pdf (accessed 14 May 2015) 238 Silent Guardian SG-R50, Raytheon (undated) op.cit. 239 Email correspondence from Managing Director, AT-Marine Oy, 28 April 2015. Amnesty International May 2015 Index: EUR 01/1632/2015