U.N.: Tasers Are A Form Of Torture

by ryan | November 25, 2007 at 04:44 pm | 964 views | 6 comments

The United Nations has added a new chapter to the ongoing controversy surrounding the use of tasers as law enforcement tools. The UN Committee Against Torture said on Friday that the use of a taser can be considered torture. The emphasis is of course on the phrase 'can be considered' and it's not shocking that 50,000 volts to the body is torturous, nevertheless the position of the committee adds more fuel to the fire surrounding the use of tasers and their designation as non-lethal force.

A United Nations committee said Friday that use of Taser weapons can be a form of torture, in violation of the U.N. Convention Against Torture.

Use of the electronic stun devices by police has been marked with a sudden rise in deaths - including four men in the United States and two in Canada within the last week.

Canadian authorities are taking a second look at them, and in the United States, there is a wave of demands to ban them.

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RC Cone

at 04:46 on November 26th, 2007

good stuff:

Extremely pertinent in light of all the fatalities. Thanks!

Brian A Kennedy

at 09:06 on November 26th, 2007

good stuff:

Interesting timing -- thanks, Ryan.

djsblack

at 10:28 on November 26th, 2007

good stuff:

ryan nadel, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Zlender

at 10:54 on November 26th, 2007

good stuff:

ryan nadel, thanks for posting this. This became a big problem as apperantly nobody thinks twice when using this thing.

djsblack

at 16:33 on November 26th, 2007

Now all the United Nations has to do is come up with a definition of "Terrorism."

BigT

at 16:57 on November 26th, 2007

good stuff:

ryan nadel, good stuff.

Anything can be used as a torture device. But the creation of tasers was percipitated by a demand for non-lethal forms of disabling an attacker. That's what they are, normally.