DEVICES AUTHORIZED FOR USE 17 smoke grenades. The revised rules also allow the use of water cannons at any temperature (while the relevant provision initially did not allow the use of water cannons in temperatures below 0° C).34 Riot-control vehicles are manufactured widely, in particular by companies in the USA, Russia, China, Turkey, South Korea and the European Union (EU). In relation to Central Asia and the South Caucasus, modern vehicles from Turkey, China and South Korea are known to have been transferred to Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.35 A Ukrainian company with offices in Georgia, Russia and Uzbekistan also manufactures riot-control vehicles as part of a broader portfolio of commercial and support vehicles.36 VI. Acoustic devices There are two main types of acoustic weapon: (a) flash-bang or stun grenades and (b) acoustic-hailing devices. Flash-bang or stun grenades have been around for many decades and are designed to disorient an individual or group via the means of an explosion. On detonation, the grenades emit a loud bang and a bright flash of light, causing temporary blindness and disorientation. Flash-bang grenades are manufactured in a number of countries including China, Russia, Ukraine and the USA, as well as in EU member states. They have been reported as being used in public-order situations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.37 Damage to hearing may occur if used in confined spaces. Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented injuries sustained to protesters in 2004 in Armenia, reporting that ‘some of the worst injuries were caused by stun grenades, which inflicted deep wounds in many protesters’, due to the shrapnel that certain devices produce.38 Figure 2.9 shows Russian-manufactured stun grenades used in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Acoustic-hailing devices are deployed for a range of civil, law-enforcement and security purposes. Such devices generally produce high-volume or highpitched sounds at various frequencies. Long-range systems are known to be manufactured by companies based in China, the EU and the USA (see figure 2.10).39 There has been some discussion about the medical impact of such 34 Muiznieks (note 33), p. 5, para. 19. See Table 4.3. 36 See <http://www.titalcompany.com/eng//ооо-компания-титал-0>. It should be noted that there is no evidence of transfer of Tital-manufactured riot-control vehicles to any of the countries listed. 37 Human Rights Watch (2004), Armenia: Investigate Abuses in Political Crackdown, <http://www.hrw.org/news/2004/05/03/armenia-investigate-abuses-political-crackdown>; Kazimov, S. and Rzayev, S., Azerbaijanis Protest Against Army Deaths, IWPR, 15 Mar. 2013, <http://iwpr.net/report-news/azerbaijanis-protest-against-army-deaths>; ‘Kyrgyzstan: police use rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse crowds of protesters calling for nationalisation of the Centerra gold mine’, Reuters, 31 May 2013; and ‘Soccer riot breaks out in Tajikistan’, Tajikistan Newswire, 15 June 2011, <https://universalnewswires.com/tajikistan/Tajik-police-confiscate-265-pounds-of-drugs-in-oneday/Tajikistan-arrests-local-HT-leader/Soccer-riot-breaks-out-in-Tajikistan/viewstory.aspx?id=4262>. 38 Human Rights Watch (note 37). 39 Omega Research Foundation archive. 35