UN Says Tasers = Torture

TASER electronic stun guns are a form of torture that can kill, a UN committee has declared after several recent deaths in North America.

"The use of these weapons causes acute pain, constituting a form of torture,'' the UN's Committee against Torture said.

"In certain cases, they can even cause death, as has been shown by reliable studies and recent real-life events,'' the committee of 10 experts said.

Three men, all in their early 20s, were reported to have died in the United States this week, days after a Polish man died at Vancouver airport after being Tasered by Canadian police.

The man, Robert Dziekanski, 40, fell to the ground and died after the police officers piled on top of him.

There have been three deaths in Canada after the use of Tasers over the past five weeks.

The company that makes the weapons has said that similar deaths have been shown by "medical science and forensic analysis'' to be "attributable to other factors and not the low-energy electrical discharge of the Taser".

The UN committee made its comments in recommendations to Portugal, which has bought the newest Taser X26 stun gun for use by police.

Portugal "should consider giving up the use of the Taser X26,'' as its use can have a grave physical and mental impact on those targeted, which violates the UN's Convention against Torture, the experts said.


SOURCE (http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22814674-5001028,00.html?from=public_rss)


What the fuck are we coming too? You get fucking shocked, then the pain goes away and the vast majority of the time, you are perfectly fine. Compare this to a gun, you get shot, hurts like fuck, doesn't go away, you die. What the fuck? Is the UN really that big of a bunch of pussies?

"In certain cases, they can even cause death, as has been shown by reliable studies and recent real-life events". Pfft. BS, I say. A pencil can cause death, keys to the carotid artery can cause death, with enough force a shoe or laptop can cause death. Should we send the police out there naked with nerf bats, or what? The term is not "non-lethal" it's "less than lethal" stating that in some rare cases, YES a taser CAN cause death. But honestly (although the police seem to be a little trigger happy with the taser), would you rather they use nightsticks (tonfas) or the 9mm in the holster?

in some cases where force is used the only thing needed at the time was their brain and mouth.

Polish man dies after tasered at Canada airport

watch on 3.50 was the stick jabbed in his head or wherever needed

http://www.youtube.com/v/_IJqdL40lvU&rel=1

No joke: In the immortal words of LAPD beating victim Rodney King...

"Can't we all just get along?"
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3305/kingrodneyyp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Seriously. That's from the heart right now.

in some cases where force is used the only thing needed at the time was their brain and mouth.
The problem is that too many police officers (not all, but alot) Have a tiny brain and a big mouth. Kinda like a dinosaur with a badge. A cranky one, too.

Don't start that Rodney King bullshit. He was a fucking fellon on Angel Dust (PCP). You can't hurt someone on that, they just keep coming at you. Frankly, they should have shot his ass.

Don't start that Rodney King bullshit. He was a fucking fellon on Angel Dust (PCP). You can't hurt someone on that, they just keep coming at you. Frankly, they should have shot his ass.


ZeroAccuracy man I'm feeling that Holiday spirit from you:) One of the few times I post something caring and sensitive and I get smacked back into reality.

It was a thought, tho.:gun:

The company that makes the weapons has said that similar deaths have been shown by "medical science and forensic analysis'' to be "attributable to other factors and not the low-energy electrical discharge of the Taser".


That's f*cked up sounding quote... other factors... like their hearts couldn't take it. The taser still caused it. Of course there's other things like James Chasse in Portland, OR that got tased a few times and then kicked in the chest. (Article) (http://wweek.com/editorial/3252/8148/) (Autopsy PDF) (http://www.mentalhealthportland.org/ChasseAutopsy.pdf) By all accounts Chasse was scared and fought back mightily—both before and after police tried to use a Taser on him.

"I've never seen anybody look at me like that with the sheer terror in their eyes," Humphreys recalled.

MH you're absolutely right, anything can be deadly. It's the use that makes it tourture. Repeatedly tasing someone when they're already subdued is torture. Using a taser to take someone down instead of shooting them is a hell of a lot better.

Though I suppose hot branding irons are always torture.

Some police "pain compliance" tactics are questionable... like the pepper gel they put in your eyes nose and mouth. That stuff is usually reserved for environmental protesters to get them to leave an area.

It would be nice if police tried to mediate situations more than take this "us or them" attitude. It seems like a lot of police see things having only two extreme outcomes. Two days ago I saw some cop arrest an old lady and drag her out in handcuffs at Burger King cause she wanted to refund and told the manager she was gonna stand there till they gave it to her. he didn't really even try to reason with her. He asked what happened, told her to she had to leave and when she said she wanted her refund he took her away. Hopefully he just drove her home and told her to stay there.

Don't start that Rodney King bullshit. He was a fucking fellon on Angel Dust (PCP). You can't hurt someone on that, they just keep coming at you. Frankly, they should have shot his ass.

Tests for PCP came back negative. But he had a blood alcohol level of 0.19 which is twice the official drunk driving level in most states. They did taser him but it didn't work. Maybe it wasn't a clean hit, who knows?

If you want to see his rap sheet, here it is: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lapd/kingarrests.html

It looks like he had been previously arrested for beating his wife and robbing a convenience store with a tire iron.

The first cop to beat him with his nightstick had failed his nightstick handling certification earlier that day.

Nobody was innocent in this one though, the cops were out of line, he was out of line, but shooting him, yeah... that's a little extreme.

Nobody was innocent in this one though, the cops were out of line, he was out of line, but shooting him, yeah... that's a little extreme.

The way I see it, if anyone's resisting enough that a cop legitimately fears that they're going to get their gun and use it on them, should be shot. Also, anyone who beats their wife or kids (legit beating, not a spanking or slap to the face when they backtalk) should be shot. Anyone who kidnaps, rapes, or kills a woman or child should be tortured, then shot.

Three in the past week in the US? Really? I haven't heard anything about any of them.

Furthermore...if there have been that many in such a little time, why does the article focus on the Polish guy, without another mention of any of the 20-somethings that died in the last week?

Oh, and for the record....fuck Rodney King....and while we're at it...fuck Malice Green, too.

Three in the past week in the US? Really? I haven't heard anything about any of them.

Furthermore...if there have been that many in such a little time, why does the article focus on the Polish guy, without another mention of any of the 20-somethings that died in the last week?
I guess they just weren't big news. But here you go...

From Jacksonville Florida: 2nd Suspect In 3 Days Dies After Tasing (http://www.news4jax.com/news/14652477/detail.html)

The third happened in Frederick Maryland on Sunday: Death raises concern (http://www.gazette.net/stories/112107/brunnew82405_32357.shtml)

Bonus bleeding heart liberal article: Some cardiologists have long warned that 50,000 volts from a taser interrupts heart rhythms and can cause sudden death (http://educate-yourself.org/cn/taserslethal10jan05.shtml).

i doubt anyone of you has been tasered or had the taste of police brutality inflicted on you,
scenario imagine your wife/kid etc has had a shitty day and ends up in a argument with you and you watched 5 policemen jump in and taser him/her then pile up on him/her then hit him/her a few times with a stick which in end causes him/her to die.
would you still think its right for the use of taser first and think second?
or would you think in the moment of madness him/her was in could have been resolved by talking and in due time they would have calmed down got arrested/fined end of story.
i mean in the case of the guy from poland he was unarmed and if 5 policemen cant handle him bare handed then they shouldnt be in the force ffs.
i could have dropped that fooker down myself and thats no joke.

Tasered - nope. Brutality - mediocre level, yeah. Not the full-out nightstick and beating, but I've been roughed up a bit for being a smartass. But being a smartass is in my nature. In general, I've found that the police in high-crime areas generally tend to be the dinosaurs, and the cops in low-crime areas tend to use their wits before being so quick to grab the taser/nightstick/whatever. I guess it also depends on what the information they were provided with was, too. If they get the call on the radio that says "mischievous conduct", they'll be relaxed, but be assured when the call comes in for "domestic disturbance" that can mean a WHOLE LOT of things, and they come ready to scrap. Possible weapons. Possible violence. In my opinion you're better off just being relaxed when the boys in blue show up, don't make any sudden sudden moves, and keep your hands in sight.

That being said, some of these mofo's are trigger happy. Don't poke the bear. I bet the cops that went after that Polish fellow were fairly new to the force, and a senior officer on site (or police investigator) would have calmed that mess down quick (unless he was having a REALLY crappy day).

Edit to add: Ever start a reply and forget where the hell you're going with it when you've been awake too long. I hate it when that happens. Anyway, I'm passing on sound advice I guess.. <shrug>

No, I haven't been tasered, but I have seen multiple demonstrations of it in my criminal justice class. I also have multiple friends in that class who have been tasered, including my ex-girlfriend. Once the jolt is over, the pain goes away almost immediately, that has been confirmed by everyone I've ever talked to who has been tasered.