Amnesty International on Wednesday warned European Union countries were breaching landmark legislation introduced to combat the trade in equipment whose sole use is for torture.

"Traders in some member states have continued to offer for sale equipment which is explicitly prohibited for import and export to and from the European Union," said a new report from Amnesty and the Omega Research Foundation. The trade in such equipment had been banned "on the grounds that it has no other practical purpose than for torture or other ill-treatment," said the report.

The EU legislation was introduced in 2006, and London-based Amnesty described it as "unprecedented, binding trade controls on a range of equipment which is often used in serious human rights violations." As well as banning international trade in tools whose only use were in torture, the legislation also sought to control the trade in policing and security equipment often misused for ill-treatment.

But Wednesday's report found that the legislation "remains unimplemented or only partly implemented in several member states" of the 27-member European bloc. It further said that loopholes in the law meant some EU members were able to trade without any regulation in equipment and services that have been used for torture and ill-treatment.

Some of the equipment still being sold included spiked batons, metal finger-cuffs, and electric shock stun sleeves and cuffs which deliver 50,000-volt shocks.

Amnesty called on member states and the EU to step up efforts to enforce the legislation effectively.
The rights group made a series of recommendations to countries and the European Commission to improve implementation of the legislation.

(source: AFP)