banned from export.118 However, the US export laws and regulations have certain deficiencies and Amnesty International and Omega have called for them to be strengthened. For example, the control lists do not yet include water cannon, and the activity of brokering many types of crime control items is not regulated. Nevertheless, the export control laws and regulations of the US are relatively developed compared to those of most other states. Examples of irresponsible transfers Law enforcement equipment has been exported from China to countries where there was a foreseeable risk of serious human rights violations in the context of law enforcement. In June 2008 the UN Panel of Experts on Liberia, charged with monitoring the UN arms embargo on Liberia, reported that they had detected a shipment of weapons and security equipment intended for the Liberian Special Security Services in early 2008. Neither the UN Sanctions Committee nor the United Nations Mission in Liberia was notified about the delivery of this consignment (as required under Security Council resolution 1792 (2007)), and the consignment was described on its Bill of Lading as “spare parts and chemical products”. In fact it contained a range of small arms, small arms ammunition, 50 “Tear sprayer (handheld portable)”, 100 “SKG-01 type handcuffs” and 50 “JG-986 type electric batons.” 119 The Bill of Lading listed the shipment’s consignor as Bometec (the Chinese State Bureau of Military Equipment & Technology Co-operation). According to Amnesty International’s annual report on the human rights situation in Uganda during 2010 “torture and ill-treatment by the police, other law-enforcement officials and the military remained widespread.” Several incidents of election–related violence involving law enforcement officers, were recorded in 2010, including excessive use of force and repression of peaceful protest. Amnesty International went on to make a specific reference to “concerns about electoral violence and human rights abuses ahead of general elections in early 2011”.120 During 2010, 36 per cent of all complaints to the Uganda Human Rights Commission were directed against the Ugandan police force, the majority related to torture and other ill-treatment.121 Nevertheless, on the eve of the February 2011 elections Uganda reportedly received a large consignment of Chinese “anti-riot” equipment, supplied by Poly Technologies. According to press reports, the consignment included armoured vehicles with water cannons and tear gas launchers as well as pepper sprayers.122 Although the elections passed off relatively peacefully, throughout April 2011 Ugandan police using Chinese-made crowd control gear harshly repressed the “walk to work” protests against rising food and fuel prices. Eyewitness reports gathered by Human Rights Watch describe police targeting protesters with tear gas, and throwing tear gas canisters into houses. In one incident, two people were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation; in another, police fired tear gas at random in a residential neighbourhood, even though there were no protesters present. Former Presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye was forced out of his car after being sprayed with liquid tear gas and pepper spray through the car window. Chinese manufactured armoured vehicles were used throughout the violent crackdown in which at least nine people were shot dead, over 100 injured and 600 detained.123 In another case, it was reported in December 2011 that the security forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) used “new” armoured anti-riot police vehicles and water cannon manufactured by Poly Technologies.124 Prior to the DRC security forces receiving these Chinese vehicles and water cannon, in its 2009 submission to the Universal Periodic Review on the DRC, Amnesty International had reported widespread human rights violations by DRC’s military, intelligence and police services including “serious and sometimes politically motivated human rights violations across the country” involving frequent arbitrary arrests, acts of torture and excessive use of force.125 In addition, a report in June 2010 by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions had stated that given the political tensions which had previously led to the killing of at least 100 Bunda dia Kongo supporters, “one may expect targeted killings … as well as deaths from excessive use of force in quelling BDK demonstrations, as the next election approaches.” He concluded that “…the international community should consider the risk of violence by Government security forces during the next election period to be high.”126 China’s Trade in Tools of Torture and Repression Amnesty International – Index: ASA 17/042/2014 27