A
lawyer leading the charge against police adopting Taser stun guns is
welcoming a United Nations report that describes the 50,000-volt stun
guns as a "form of torture".
Just
weeks before police decide whether to adopt Tasers as a
crime-fighting tool, the report has condemned their use.
The
UN Committee Against Torture said it was worried by the use of Tasers
in Portugal. It says the stun guns cause "extreme pain,
constituted a form of torture, and … in certain cases could also
cause death".
Lawyer
Marie Dyhrberg, from the Campaign Against The Taser group, said the
UN committee’s findings should be taken seriously by the police.
"They have no agenda, and they have access to very reliable
information."
A
police national headquarters spokesman said the overseas report was
"not especially relevant" to the New Zealand Taser trial.
"But that doesn’t mean we don’t take any notice of it."
Police
will report to Police Commissioner Howard Broad on how their 12-month
Taser trial went by December 14, and he will make the final decision
on their future use.
International
concerns over Tasers have been growing. In Canada, three men have
died in the past six weeks after being zapped, starting with unarmed
Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, Tasered by police at Vancouver
airport on October 14.
In
the latest death, 36-year-old Robert Knipstrom died four days after
being pepper sprayed, batoned and Tasered by police.
Council
for Civil Liberties chairman Michael Bott said the UN report
reflected a backlash against Tasers. Tasers could be lethal if used
on a person with a pacemaker or on certain types of medication.
"We
still don’t know the long-term effects," Bott said.
"The
UN is urging caution on this, but the police are rushing into it. We
need to pause and take a breath."
Quelle: The
Press
(Christchurch, NZ)| Tuesday, 27 November 2007
