Repression of protest

Cheddite is a French-Italian company with headquarters in Livorno, Italy and Bourg-lès-Valence, France. They are one of the world’s largest manufacturers of empty shot gun shells and primers.

The German antimilitarist group Antimilitaristische Aktion Berlin (Antimilitarist Action Berlin) have found evidence that Berlin’s domestic intelligence agency (“Verfassungsschutz Berlin”) is monitoring their activities.

An investigation by France24 has found evidence that shotgun cartridges manufactured in Italy and France by the company Cheddite have been used by Iranian security forces against protesters.

In late May, a journalist working for website Declassified UK identified UK-made tear gas being fired against protesters in Oman.

Social movements across Colombia are facing severe repression and violence from the police and military. The demonstrations began on 28th April 2021 as a general strike was called in response to an unpopular tax reform and the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jennifer Wickham, a member of the Wet’suwet’en people, explores her community's resistance to the CGL pipeline across their territory in Western Canada, the importance of the land to the Wet'suwet'en people, and the militarised response from Canada's militarised police units.

Amnesty International has identified a sub-machine gun used by security services in Myanmar against unarmed nonviolent protesters as a BA-94 or BA-93 Uzi clone.

On 1st April, activists the Make West Papua Safe (MWPS) campaign occupied the lobby of a Thales Australia building, and displayed images of West Papuan activists killed by security forces in the last year.

WRI denounces the military oppression and violence in Myanmar, calls for a nonviolent civil response to the crisis, and demands recognition and safety to the conscientious objection of military/police personnel who have refused to participate in such atrocities.

The former head of security at a Guatemalan nickle mine, on trial for killing a local indigenous leader, has submitted a guilty plea.

Activists from the South Korean organisation World Without War have taken direct action inside the DX Korea arms fair, targetting companies associated with the war in Yemen, the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, and human rights abuses in West Papua.

Water cannon produced by the South Korean company Jino Motors has been photographed being used against pro-democracy protesters in Thailand.