PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
EXPORT OF TORTURE EQUIPMENT (16 January 1995)

That this House is appalled by the recent allegations made in the television programme, Dispatches, broadcast on Channel 4 on 11th January 1995, that United Kingdom companies have supplied and continued to promote the sale of electric shock batons and other types of equipment, such as leg cuffs, to countries which have repeatedly been found to practise torture as regularly reported by Amnesty International; urges Her Majesty's Government to provide a detailed explanation of the apparent failure to take human rights considerations into account when allowing such trade; and further calls on Her Majesty's Government to review its laws and procedures to ensure that its legislation and regulations regarding the transfer of all security and police equipment avoid ambiguities and provide for the public disclosure of such transfers in advance, so that Parliament can exercise proper control, that such transfers are prohibited unless it can be reasonably demonstrated they will not contribute to torture and other human rights violations, that effective channels are established for Her Majesty's Government to receive information from non-governmental organisations on the human rights aspects of such transfers, and that the human rights situation of receiving countries is taken into account before any decision is made to export security equipment.

Sponsored by:
Ann Clwyd (Labour)