Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic expressed concern on Friday at “the disproportionate use of force” against the demonstrators against the new pension law, and urged France to respect the right to demonstrate.
“Violent incidents have occurred, including some against law enforcement officials, but the sporadic acts of violence by some protesters or other reprehensible acts by others during a demonstration cannot justify the excessive use of force by state agents.”insisted the Commissioner in a statement.
“Such acts are also not enough to deprive peaceful demonstrators of the right to freedom of assembly and demonstration.”continued.
According to the person in charge “it is up to the authorities to allow the exercise of these freedoms, to protect peaceful demonstrators and journalists covering these demonstrations from police brutality and violent individuals acting on the margins of the marches” of protesting.
In recent days, associations of lawyers and magistrates and left-wing politicians have condemned police brutality during demonstrations against the revision of the pension law, which raises the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 without financial sanctions. of protests and strikes across the country.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday called on Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin to “end police violence against journalists”.
Dunja Mijatovic also expressed concern about the arrest and detention of some protesters and people close to the demonstrations. “the necessity and proportionality of the measures to which they were subject”.
“The lack of communication from a demonstration is not in itself sufficient to justify an attack on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly of demonstrators, nor to impose a criminal sanction on participants in such a demonstration”he argued, referring to Gérald Darmanin’s statements.
The French minister had declared on Tuesday that participation in an “uncommunicated demonstration” to the authorities is a “crime” that “deserves arrest”.
This Friday, Gérald Darmanin also announced the opening of 11 judicial inquiries into suspected acts of police brutality over the past week, as part of the popular mobilization against the revision of the pension law across the country.
The Council of Europe was established in 1949 to defend human rights, democracy and the rule of law and currently has 46 member states, including all countries that are part of the European Union (EU).
Source: DN
