Swiss War Materiel and Arms Exports

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Swiss shields for Israeli prison units

Goods category: Special military goods

Smoke and fire at a high-rise building in Gaza City after an Israeli attack, 07.10.2023.

CC BY-SA 3.0

Knight Shield of Bursins supplied ballistic shields to a special unit of the Israeli prison administration. Two SECO licences dated 18 January and 15 February 2024 cover a total of nine shields. The deliveries were publicly debated after B’Tselem documented abuse by Israeli prison units. Licences 8046255 and 8046618 cover three and six shields respectively, with a total value of 30’063.70 Swiss francs. B.Safe Security is listed as the importer and the Special Operations Unit of the Israel Prison Services as the recipient. The models include Chaos Ritter V7++, Hammer K, Orks and Chaos II. The deliveries are documented in SRF/RTS reporting.

Effect of the proposed War Materiel Act revision

In Switzerland, special military goods (unlike in most other countries) are not subject to the War Materiel Act, but to the much weaker Goods Control Act.

Countries

Conflicts

Companies

Time period

January–February 2024

Sources