The following section assesses the types of equipment that have been produced in China and marketed for use in law enforcement. AN Assessment of the different types of Chinese manufactured law enforcement equipment mechanical Restraints Omega has identified 86 Chinese companies that have manufacturered and / or traded various types of mechanical restraint equipment. One of the larger producers of restraints is Yantai Muping Yuanda Trading Company - in early 2014 their website stated that it could produce 800,000 pairs of handcuffs and 100,000 pairs of leg cuffs per year, in addition to other types of mechanical restraints including weighted leg cuffs, thumb cuffs, and combination hand and leg cuffs.29 Inherently abusive restraint devices Weighted leg cuffs: During his visit to China in 2005, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment (Special Rapporteur on torture) found prisoners on death row in a Beijing prison wearing leg cuffs weighing 3kg for 24 hours a day. He stated that the practice of prolonged cuffing of prisoners in weighted leg cuffs is inhuman and degrading and is an “additional punishment that should be abolished”.30 However, despite the concerns of the Special Rapporteur on torture, the Chinese authorities have not sought to restrict or ban the use of weighted leg cuffs and Chinese companies have continued to advertise for sale types of leg cuffs weighing up to 8kg.31 Amnesty International and Omega call for a ban on the use of leg restraints purposefully designed to cause discomfort, including weighted leg cuffs. Neck combination cuffs: These devices fasten around the neck and link the neck and wrists. They have been manufactured by at least one Chinese company and marketed to Chinese law enforcement agencies.32 Such cuffs are of particular concern due to the pressure they exert on a person’s neck. Amnesty International and Omega considers this is an unacceptable form of restraint as its © Robin Ballantyne © Robin Ballantyne above: Chinese weighted leg cuffs left: Chinese combination neck / handcuffs China’s Trade in Tools of Torture and Repression Amnesty International – Index: ASA 17/042/2014 7