PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
BRITISH COMPANIES AND THE TORTURE TRADE (20 May 1992)

That this House is concerned about the reported involvement of British companies in the manufacture and installation of equipment for torture and the infliction of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment throughout the world; calls for a prohibition on the export of military, security and police equipment where it is reasonably foreseeable that these could be used for human rights abuses, the manufacture of equipment which can only be used for torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and therefore calls for a change in the law so as to provide that all transfers of repressive equipment and technology be disclosed in advance, take into account the human rights situation of the receiving country and establish channels for the receipt of information from non-governmental organisations on human rights aspects of such transfers, so as to demonstrate, before transfer takes place, that the equipment will not contribute to human rights violation.

Sponsored by:
Baroness Corston (Labour)