50 Grasping the nettle: Ending Europe’s Trade in Execution and Torture Technology Case study: Czech Republic licences of concern granted during 2013 and 2012 241 Destination country Number of licenses granted and year Equipment Reports of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in destination countries Angola 1 (2013) Electric Shock and Pepper Spray “On 25 May [2011] there was a large police presence at the Independence Square in Luanda, where the demonstration was to be held, including helicopters overhead. One participant later told Amnesty International delegates that there were about 300 demonstrators in the area and police ordered them to disperse stating that it was for public security reasons….Neither the Provincial Governor nor the police authorities provided the organisers with any written document justifying the refusal to allow the demonstration. Nevertheless police reportedly used batons, Tasers and dogs in attempt to disperse them.” (Page 11) Source: Amnesty International, Punishing Dissent Suppression of freedom of association and assembly in Angola, AFR 12/004/2014 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR12/004/2014/ en/64333e0d-bc42-4fd5-855a-90e53ef03d07/ afr120042014en.pdf Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 (2013) Electric Shock and Pepper Spray 1 (2012) Combined shackles and footcuffs “The delegation again received a considerable number of detailed, coherent and consistent allegations of serious physical ill-treatment by the police and other law enforcement officials in the Republika Srpska. The alleged ill-treatment mostly took the form of slaps, punches and kicks as well as blows with hard objects (such as baseball bats) to various parts of the body. Several consistent allegations of the use of small hand-held electroshock devices during interrogations were also received. Further, detailed allegations were received of handcuffing in stress positions for hours on end and of the placing of plastic bags over the heads of suspects. Several persons stated that they had been subjected to a mock execution with a pistol pointed at their temple and the trigger pulled or they had had the barrel of a pistol inserted into their mouth. A number of allegations of verbal abuse and threats by police officers were also heard. The majority of allegations concerned the time when suspects were being questioned by crime inspectors, prior to being transferred to the prosecutor’s offices.” Source: Report to the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 5 to 11 December 2012, Strasbourg, 12 September 2013 http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/bih/2013-25-inf-eng. htm#_Toc352674911 241 Information taken from Czech Republic, Ministry of Trade web site: Licences granted during 2013, http://www.mpo.cz/dokument54368.html (accessed 12 February 2015), Licences granted during 2012, http://download.mpo.cz/get/32380/57018/611606/ priloha005.pdf (accessed 12 February 2015). Amnesty International May 2015 Index: EUR 01/1632/2015