3. PROHIBITED AND CONTROLLED WEAPONS AND DEVICES Stringent controls on the trade of “tools of torture” are urgently needed given that currently unregulated international transfer of security and policing equipment poses a threat to people’s enjoyment of their human rights, notably the right to life, to security of person, to dignity, and to freedom from torture and other ill-treatment. Amnesty International and the Omega Research Foundation believe that in order to be fully effective, any legislation aiming to tackle this trade should have a double approach and distinguish between: i) goods that are inherently abusive and therefore, whose manufacture, promotion and trade should be banned, and ii) goods that might have a legitimate law enforcement purpose but which are commonly abused for torture and other ill-treatment, whose transfer should be subject to stringent controls to ensure that they will not be used for such violations. Examples of items that should be prohibited include leg irons, electric shock stun belts and inherently painful devices such as serrated thumb cuffs. Examples of items that should be controlled include batons, tear gas and ordinary handcuffs. The table below and following sections provide examples of goods that Amnesty International and the Omega Research Foundation believe should be prohibited, and those that should be controlled. ELECTRIC MECHANICAL SHOCK RESTRAINTS RIOT CONTROL AGENTS (RCAs) WEAPONS KINETIC IMPACT /DEVICES WEAPONS/DEVICES 6 COMBATING TORTURE: THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE REGULATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EQUIPMENT Amnesty International | Omega Research Foundation