EU launches Alliance for Torture-Free Trade

The EU, together with Argentina and Mongolia, on 18 September launched an initiative aiming to end the trade in goods used for capital punishment and torture during UN General Assembly. The alliance aim to stop the trade of instruments used for torture and death penalty. This ban will hit the trades of baton will metal spike, electric shock belts, grabbers that seise people by the waist or limb while electrocuting them, chemicals used to execute people and forced injection systems that go with them. Countries that will sign the agreement will have to take four action points: take measures to control and restrict exports of these goods, Equip customs authorities with appropriate tools (as a platform to monitor trade flows, exchange information and restrict exports of these goods), make technical assistance available to help countries with setting up and implementing laws to ban this trade and last of all to exchange practices for efficient control and enforcement systems.