About the Omega Research Foundation
The Omega Research Foundation provides rigorous, objective, evidence-based research on the
manufacture, trade, and use of, military, security and police (MSP) technologies worldwide.
Our research is used to develop and monitor effective controls and standards on the manufacture,
trade, and use of MSP equipment; hold governments to account for the transfers they authorise;
challenge questionable transfers of MSP equipment; educate policy makers, journalists & human
rights monitors; and provide redress for torture survivors.
For more information or to contact us, please visit our website at www.omegaresearchfoundation.org.
Acknowledgements
The Omega Research Foundation would like to acknowledge the support of the European Instrument
for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), the Sigrid Rausing Trust and the Joseph Rowntree
Charitable Trust.
Disclaimer
The company information detailed in this report is for illustrative purposes only and is drawn from
information already in the public domain. The authors do not intend to imply that any companies
named in this report have committed any wrongdoing, nor behaved in an improper manner.
This Brief illustrates some the types of equipment frequently misused for torture or other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It is not intended as an exhaustive resource
containing all types of equipment being produced by all companies.
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this
publication are the sole responsibility of the Omega Research Foundation and can in no way be taken
to reflect the views of the European Union.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License. To view a copy of this license, visit <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncsa/4.0/legalcode>. Please inform Omega of attributions and attribute as follows: Omega Research
Foundation, Briefing Paper: Use of Tools of Torture in OSCE participating States, 2017, available at
https://omegaresearchfoundation.org/.