1. Learn

See how Bahrain's police misuse tear gas, and learn why we must act now to save lives

Warning! This slideshow contains graphic images of individuals injured and killed with tear gas

An apparent tender document leaked on 16 October 2013 shows that Bahrain is set to purchase more tear gas canisters than its entire population. But why should you care?

A report compiled by Physicians for Human Rights lists 39* deaths in Bahrain since 2011 that are attributed to tear gas. But how can this be? Isn't tear gas non-lethal? * latest PHR update

The answer is that Bahrain's police misuse tear gas. For example, they rain down tear gas on villages as their inhabitants sleep, to punish them for earlier protests.

Police even deliberately fire tear gas into houses, places of worship, and other buildings, which poses a danger to their occupants because of the lack of ventillation.

When police are using tear gas against protests, they fire the canisters directly at demonstrators, from a very close range. The canisters are typically made of metal.

14-year-old Ali Jawad Al-Shaikh was killed by a tear gas canister that is visually similar to those exported by South African / German company Rheinmetall Denel.

15-year-old Sayed Hashim Saeed was killed by a tear gas canister that is visually similar to those exported by Korean companies DaeKwang Chemical Corporation and CNO Tech.

DaeKwang, CNO Tech, and Rheinmetall Denel are apparently the main exporters to Bahrain. These companies operate out of South Korea, South Africa, and Germany.

We understand that no delivery related to this tender has yet been made. But this shipment could happen at any time. You can save lives by helping stop this shipment.

In the past, tear gas shipments have been stopped when a lot of people like you complain to arms dealers, export licensing authorities, and governments. Scroll down to get started!

Tweets about "#StopTheShipment"

Campaign Updates:

10 December 2013: The Bahrain Watch legal team files complaints with five UN Special Rapporteurs, arguing that the Bahrain Government's use of tear gas violates the freedoms of association, expression, and movement, and constitutes systematic repression that amounts to degrading and inhuman treatment, and collective punishment.

26 November 2013: Bahrain Watch assembles a legal team headed by Michael Mansfield QC; the team files an OECD complaint against Dae Kwang Chemical Corporation seeking to halt the upcoming shipment of tear gas. Dae Kwang is the presumed supplier as they exported more than 1 million rounds of tear gas to Bahrain between 2011 and 2012.

1 November 2013: 31 Korean NGOs hold a protest outside DAPA, Korea's tear gas export licensing authority. The Stop The Shipment campaign comes under attack from Bahrain's media, with the Gulf Daily News proclaiming that the campaign seeks to "deny police protection."

25 October 2013: UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade organizes the first of several demonstrations outside the Korean Embassy in London as Korean Government confirms that an unnamed company has requested permission to export tear gas to Bahrain. High-profile activists including Noam Chomsky endorse the campaign.

16 October 2013: Bahrain Watch leaks a tender document from a source linked to Bahrain's Ministry of Interior, showing that Bahrain's Government is set to purchase more than 1.6m rounds of tear gas. The "Stop The Shipment" campaign is launched, targeting Bahrain's main tear gas suppliers, located in Korea and South Africa.

2. Call/Fax

Call Korean authorities:

Time in Korea:

(Someone will usually pick up the phone, even outside of office hours)

Input your phone number, starting with "+", and including the country code. Do not include any dashes or parentheses. Do not include an extra "0" before your number. Then, select a number to call. We will automatically call your phone. When your phone rings, answer it, and we will connect you to the number anonymously, and free of charge. You will only pay the price to receive an incoming international call -- in most cases this is free of charge.

You can use the following script:

Note: The person answering the phone will answer in Korean. You should start by asking "Do you speak English?". Then, you can say the following:

Hello, my name is [first name], I am calling from [country you are in].

I'm calling today because a Korean company has asked permission to export millions of tear gas canisters to the country of Bahrain.

I would like to tell you about the situation in Bahrain, which is very serious. In the past two and a half years, police have killed thirty-nine peaceful men, women, and children using tear gas. Police fire tear gas into houses as people sleep, suffocating them. They also shoot canisters directly at protesters' heads and necks.

Korean companies, DaeKwang Chemical and CNO Tech exported more than 1 million tear gas canisters to Bahrain in 2011 and 2012. The population of Bahrain is only 1.3 million people.

Police fired one canister, made in Korea, at a young boy, 14 years old, named Ali. The police fired the canister at Ali's neck from a short distance, and killed him. Ali's life was cut short, because of a product made in Korea.

It is not only Bahraini citizens who are hurt. A foreigner in Bahrain died when police fired tear gas in her neighborhood. The Government's use of tear gas may also endanger Korean citizens in Bahrain.

Right now, Korea has a good reputation around the world. However, if you export any more tear gas to Bahrain, Korea will become known internationally as supporting dictatorships, and killing. You will have blood on your hands.

Already, the international media including the New York Times and Financial Times is reporting on Korean tear gas exports to Bahrain. Members of Parliament in Europe are questioning their relations with Korea. The world is watching you.

Please do not export any more Korean tear gas to Bahrain.

Thank you.

Send us feedback:

How did your call go? Send us en e-mail at stoptheshipment@gmail.com, or let us know on Twitter @StopTheShipment.

Send faxes:

We have written a fax for you to send, you can download it here. You can send faxes for free online using FreePopFax, or HelloFax (free trial).

Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs	+82-2-2100-7999
	+82-2-2100-7937
	+82-2-2100-7913
Korean Embassy UK	+44-20-7227-5504
Korean Embassy US	+1-202-797-0595

3. E-Mail

Contact the companies exporting tear gas to Bahrain, and the export licensing authorities in their countries

Fact: Letter writing campaigns like this one can lead to the suspension of export licenses for tear gas, saving lives on the ground

394541 e-mails sent

Send a message using the form below:

Name

Subscribe to e-mail notifications about this campaign

Send an e-mail on my behalf once every day until we stop the shipment (this will help amplify the campaign, and you can stop any time by sending an e-mail to stoptheshipment@gmail.com with subject "STOP")

Message

Since 2011, Bahrain's security forces have misused tear gas indiscriminately and inhumanely, causing injury, death, miscarriages, and possible long-term health complications. Tear gas is supposed to be 'non-lethal', but Bahrain's police use large amounts of tear gas in residential areas, even when there are no protests, and sometimes shoot tear gas directly into houses. The police also fire the canisters directly at people's heads, which has caused serious injuries and deaths. Overall, 39 deaths in Bahrain have been attributed to tear gas, according to Physicians for Human Rights. The death toll includes both young and old, both men and women, and people with disabilities. Very few police have been punished for killing protesters.

Based on videos and images we have seen, the top suppliers of tear gas products used in Bahrain between 2011 and 2013 appear to be DaeKwang Chemical Corporation and CNO Tech of South Korea. Another company, Korea Defense Industry (KDI) may also export to Bahrain. The other major exporter is a South African/German company called Rheinmetall Denel. DaeKwang Chemical Corporation and CNO Tech have exported over 1.5 million pieces of tear gas to Bahrain between 2011 and 2012. This is more than the entire population of Bahrain, which is 1.2 million, of which 600,000 are citizens.

Please immediately stop exporting CS gas and other chemical agents to Bahrain, so no more peaceful protesters are killed with your products. Other countries, including the United States, have already stopped exporting tear gas to Bahrain. Companies that continue to export these products will be held liable under International Law on the grounds of contributing to the intentional abuse and misuse of chemical agents by the Bahrain security forces. You have a responsibility to prevent exports where tear gas is being misused.

Already, the issue of tear gas exports to Bahrain is being widely covered in the international media, including in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/world/middleeast/rights-group-warns-against-tear-gas-abuse-by-bahrain.html) and the Financial Times (http://ft.com/cms/s/0/67a619e2-397d-11e3-a3a4-00144feab7de.html).  Members of Parliament in Europe are beginning to question relations with Korea, over the issue of their tear gas exports to Bahrain (http://www.marietjeschaake.eu/2013/10/mep-stop-the-export-of-teargas-to-bahrain/). The world is watching you.

Your family and friends are precious to you, and Bahrainis' families and friends are precious to them. Stop killing Bahrainis' lovely family and friends. Stop tear gas exports to Bahrain. Learn more at: http://bahrainwatch.org/arms/

Or, manually send to these addresses:

Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs	dhsong10@mofa.go.kr
	koreanembassy.bahrain@gmail.com
	boho@mofat.go.kr
	mofat0404@mofat.go.kr
	passport@mofa.go.kr
	0404@mofat.go.kr
Korean Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning	bugwon@msip.go.kr
	iljin@msip.go.kr
	hsmoon@msip.go.kr
	bikini82@msip.go.kr
	quietwing@msip.go.kr
	chary@msip.go.kr
	cws2512@msip.go.kr
	jykang@msip.go.kr
	hehappy@msip.go.kr
	soheehan@msip.go.kr
	kimjw@msip.go.kr
South African tear gas export licensing authority	pta-explosives@saps.org.za
South African Dept. of International Relations	info@foreign.gov.za
Tear gas manufacturers	dkc21c@empas.com
	winandwin@naver.com
	jinny@cnotech.com
	kwon@cnotech.com
	marketing@rheinmetall-denelmunition.com
	info@rheinmetall-defence.com
	info@rheinmetall.com
Companies whose tear gas was formerly used in Bahrain	info@condornaoletal.com.br
Companies whose tear gas was formerly used in Bahrain	sales@nonlethaltechnologies.com

Contact arms dealers and export licensing authorities on social media, and spread the word to your friends

Victim of tear gas? Share your tear gas story on our website:

Send tear gas stories to tear gas exporters:

Tweet at arms dealers and export licensing authorities:

Korean tear gas export licensing authority	Tweet to @dapapr
Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Tweet to @MOFAkr_eng
South African / German manufacturer of tear gas used in Bahrain	Tweet to @RheinmetallAG
South African Police Service	Tweet to @SAPoliceService

Post on these Facebook pages:

Note that these pages will be able to see the name on your Facebook profile

Korean tear gas export licensing authority	DAPA Korea
Korean Embassy in Bahrain	Korean Embassy in Bahrain
South African Police Service	SAPS

Share the campaign:

When you share on Facebook, tag @dapa.korea and @KoreanEmbassy.Bahrain and @mofakr.eng and @SouthAfricanPoliceService. Note that these agencies will be able to see the name on your Facebook profile.

5. Action

Attend a protest at your nearest Korean, South African, or German embassy

Coming soon...

A Bahrain Watch campaign
In association with:
Campaign Against Arms Trade
Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain