Resistance renews calls for Taser ban

Resistance renews calls for Taser ban

Wednesday December 17, 2008

MEDIA RELEASE - An Amnesty International report released in the United States
has led activists to renew their call that the NSW government end its 'trial' of
Tasers stun guns and ensure that they are never again used in New South Wales.

Tim Dobson, organiser of the Wollongong Branch of Resistance commented:
'The report findings are horrifying and shocking. Anyone at all interested in
human rights will be chilled by the findings. 334 people in the United States
have been killed by Tasers in the past 7 years. 90% of those who died were
unarmed.

'The report found that many victims posed no serious threat to police officers
and autopsies of the victims revealed that many who died were tasered multiple
times, sometimes by different police officers.

'In one case, a doctor who crashed his car after having an epileptic fit was
tasered to death for failing to comply with police orders. This madness has to
stop!

Resistance has vowed to continue to put the spotlight on police misuse of Tasers
and will campaign until they are banned.

'The New South Wales Ombudsman has documented how there has already been a death
in this state due to Taser use; and in Queensland, a sixteen year old woman was
tasered by police because she refused to move on while caring for her sick
friend. This is an outrage!

'Before the roll out of Tasers both the New South Wales Police and the New South
Wales Government assured us that Tasers were non-lethal. This report shows that
to be totally untrue. How many people must die before they will be banned? asked
Dobson.

For more information visit http://www.socialist-alliance.org/illawarra/