- Date filed
- 22 September 2015
- Keywords
- Countries of harm
- Current status
-
Rejected
- Sector
- NCP
Allegations
The complaint filed by ADHRB against Condor Non-Lethal Technologies focuses on the companys role in violating human rights in Bahrain as a tear gas supplier to the Bahrain government. The complainants argue that Condor violated the OECD Guidelines when the tear gas products sold to Bahrain were subsequently used to violate the human rights of Bahraini citizens. The tear gas canisters manufactured by Condor were specifically linked to the death of a Bahraini citizen after he inhaled tear gas chemicals following an extreme police crackdown on protestors in the village of Bilad al-Qadeem in January 2015.
The complaint specifically relates to the extremely violent response of the Bahrain government to peaceful demonstrators in February 2011. The complaint asserts that as part of its response the Bahrain government uses tear gas in a manner that causes serious bodily injuries and deaths and have hence repurposed tear gas as a weapon to be used against the political opposition rather than as a tool for crowd control.
The complaint alleges that Condor knew or should have known of the Bahrain governments human rights abuses following the use of excessive and disproportionate force on peaceful demonstrators in 2011, but nevertheless allowed its products to directly cause or contribute to the human rights violations in Bahrain without seeking ways to prevent or mitigate the effects of those violations. Moreover, the complaint allege that failed to properly promulgate a human rights policy and failed to carry out appropriate human rights due diligence.
Relevant OECD Guidelines
- Chapter IV
- Chapter IV Paragraph 1
- Chapter IV Paragraph 2
- Chapter IV Paragraph 3
- Chapter IV Paragraph 4
- Chapter IV Paragraph 5
Outcome
Two months after receipt of the complaint the Brazilian NCP rejected the complaint. The statement of the NCP explained that, while the complaint met the acceptance criteria, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry had refused to release information vital to the continuation of the complaint. As the NCP considered it could not objectively verify the facts, it concludes it is unable to further examine the complaint. As the NCP further assesses that offering its services will not positively contribute to the resolution of the case it decided to reject the complaint.
ADHRB is disappointed about the rejection and calls on the Brazilian government to take action to suspend tear gas exports to Bahrain and hold its companies accountable for violations of business ethics and human rights.
More details
- Defendant
- Complainants
- Affected people
- Date rejected / concluded
- 27 November 2015