Abstract

REVETRIA, Malbina; LAGOS, Fidel  and  ALMADA RODRIGUEZ, Hugo. Death in custody by “non-lethal weapons” in Uruguay. First national report of two cases. Rev. Méd. Urug. [online]. 2020, vol.36, n.4, pp.311-324.  Epub Dec 01, 2020. ISSN 0303-3295.  https://doi.org/10.29193/rmu.36.4.16.

The so-called non-lethal weapons are part of the weapon arsenal available to the police forces, and they were designed to control prison riots and massive protests in public spaces. The false idea they have low chances of causing severe lesions or death has contributed to their being more widely used.

The study presents two cases of violent deaths caused by the impact of the so called non-lethal projectiles used by policemen in charge of security in the prisons of our country.

Safety of this kind of weapons under stressful situations is questioned, since there is no guarantee for them to be used properly (minimum distance and impact body area). A recommendation is made to eradicate using the label “non-lethal weapons” and substitute it for a more modern and appropriate one, such as “less lethal weapons”.

Keywords : Gun violence; Wounds, gunshot; Weapons.

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