deployed by law enforcement, meet the accuracy standards as established by UN guidance on less
ANNEX B
lethal weapons194.
Omega calls on companies involved in the manufacture and trade of law enforcement equipment to:
Bring the capabilities and effects of their products to the attention of purchasers, users, and the general
•
LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS
public. At a minimum, this should involve the publication of all documentation pertaining to the equipment’s technical specifications, features and use parameters and should incorporate recommended
safe operating procedures and highlight the medical risks of inappropriate use.
The following recommendations are submitted for the careful consideration of policy-makers, trade control
officials, monitoring bodies and companies involved in the manufacture and trade of law enforcement equipment.
Identify and release all medical studies and the names of the experts who have contributed to prod-
•
uct testing and safety analyses, indicating those who have received compensation for promoting their
products.
Use of Force
Omega calls on relevant national authorities in Brazil to:
•
Omega calls on the United Nations to:
Ensure that domestic legislation, protocols and guidelines governing the use of force and firearms
and all other law enforcement equipment comply with international human rights laws and standards;
that these standards are effectively implemented by officials exercising law enforcement duties; that
civil society organisations are invited to actively participate in any process designed to amend these
standards; and that there is independent oversight and accountability for any abuses.
•
and academics to develop international technical standards concerning the specification and performance of less lethal weapons and equipment, with the aim of minimising the risk of serious injury or
death associated with their use. Standards to be developed include those related to the acceptable
accuracy, consistency and kinetic energy of less lethal projectiles; the electrical output and length of
Omega calls on monitoring bodies tasked with visiting places of detention and/or monitoring the public use of
force to:
•
the shock of projectile electric shock weapons; and the acceptable quantity delivered and concentration of chemical irritants.
Provide their members with the training and information necessary to accurately document use of force
incidents and allegations, including details of the equipment used. This may include the development
of a standardised list of equipment and common abuses to look out for.
Manufacture, Selection and Testing
Trade
Omega calls on national authorities in Brazil to:
•
Strictly prohibit the manufacture of law enforcement equipment which has no practical use other than
ishment195.
•
for the purpose of inflicting torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
•
Carry out independent reviews based on international human rights law and standards to ascertain
whether new or untested equipment is appropriate for use by law enforcement. These tests should be
conducted by medical, legal, police and other experts and should evaluate the effects of all reasonably
likely or expected uses of the equipment. Particular consideration should be given to assessing the
potential risks of using the equipment against individuals who may be especially vulnerable and whether
the same operational objectives could be achieved using less harmful alternatives. The results of these
test should be made publicly available.
•
68
Ensure that all launched projectiles, including kinetic impact projectiles and chemical irritant projectiles
Prohibit the promotion, import or export of law enforcement of equipment which has no practical use
other than for the purpose of inflicting torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or pun-
Omega calls on national authorities in Brazil to:
•
Establish a group of experts, including medical, legal, technical and law enforcement professionals,
Immediately suspend and deny export licences where there are credible allegations that the end users
have recently used such equipment to commit or facilitate serious human rights violations, or where
there is a substantial risk of serious human rights violations being perpetrated with such equipment.
•
Submit an initial report to the UNODA as soon as possible, in compliance with the reporting requirements of the ATT.
•
Take steps to address the weaknesses of PNEIPRODE identified by this report. Specifically:
•
Reclassify pistols, shotguns and electric shock weapons from Class I to Class II
•
Amend and update the Liprode to include all types of law enforcement equipment and weapons featured in this report, including restraints, and handheld kinetic impact weapons.
•
Make publicly available details of the criteria and process used to classify defence products as
either ‘Class I’ or ‘Class II’.
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