excessive force
Monday 13.1.2020 India - Latest Developments
Discriminatory citizenship law sparks a month of protests in India and brutal response from police
Over the last month, a divisive and discriminatory citizenship law has sparked widespread protests in India. It has been met with excessive force and deadly violence by the authorities, with at least 27 killed and hundreds injured. Critics of the law and activists have been arrested while there have been allegations of torture in detention by the police in Uttar Pradesh. The police also failed to protect attacks against students by a pro-government mob at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Read more
Wednesday 8.1.2020 Pakistan - Latest Developments
Activists disappeared or arrested in Pakistan while media faces restrictions and threats
Over the last few months, Pakistani human rights defender Idris Khattak was forcibly disappeared, activist Muhammad Ismail was arbitrarily detained on trumped up charges, while his daughter and women rights activist Gulalai Ismail fled the country. The authorities also denied entry to a representative from the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ), warned news anchors not to express their opinions, while journalists from the Dawn newspaper faced threats for their reporting. Student protesters including Alamgir Wazir were arrested and charged for their activism. Read more
Friday 20.12.2019 Uruguay - Latest Developments
Protests against pulp mill met with excessive force in Uruguay
On 5th September 2019, hundreds marched in Montevideo to protest the large new pulp mill that company UPM plans to construct in Paso de los Toros, department of Tacuarembó. The march was convened by a coalition of over 60 civil society organisations, the Coordinación Nacional contra UPM (National Coordination against UPM). Read more
Wednesday 11.12.2019 Azerbaijan - Latest Developments
Authorities use force to disperse protests, harass journalists
law enforcement officers violently disperse protests in central Baku that had been organised by the National Council of Democratic Forces; authorities disperse women’s rights activists who had gathered in the city centre to protest domestic violence; 10 senior opposition party members arrested and detained ahead of protests, lawyer Nemat Karimli subjected to excessive controls and verbal intimidation as he went in to meet with his client; Several incidents of police officers using force or violence against journalists documented Read more
Thursday 28.11.2019 Haiti - Latest Developments
Sustained wave of protests in Haiti met with excessive force
In September 2019, a new wave of protests engulfed Haiti. Fuel shortages, spiralling inflation, accusations of government corruption and a lack of water, food and basic services were among the main causes leading people to the streets. As previously reported on the Monitor, the Caribbean country has been immersed in a political crisis since 2018 and people have often mobilised to demand change. Newspapers such as Deutche Welle have called it the country’s “longest wave of demonstrations for years”. Read more
Thursday 28.11.2019 Benin - Latest Developments
April 2019 legislative elections marred by civic space violations
In the run-up to, during and following the legislative elections several civic space violations took place - including blanket bans on protests, the shutdown of the internet, excessive use of force by security forces, including lethal force, leading to the killing of several people, the shutdown of the internet on election day and arbitrary arrests. Read more
Thursday 21.11.2019 Indonesia - Latest Developments
Lack of accountability for police violence, attacks on journalists and activists in Indonesia
In the last few months, mass protests by students were met with excessive use of force and firearms by the police with impunity. Further, activists peacefully protesting on West Papua are facing “rebellion” charges while two journalists and an environmental activist have died. Police have also attacked journalists covering a protest while the authorities continue to pursue a human rights lawyer for her activism on West Papua. Read more
Tuesday 19.11.2019 Nigeria - Latest Developments
Concerns about freedom of expression in Nigeria: journalists arrested, protests repressed
According to the Amnesty International report 'Endangered Voices. Attack on Freedom of Expression in Nigeria', at least 19 journalists, bloggers and media practitioners have been subject to attacks between January and September 2019. These range from physical attacks, verbal assaults, death threats, surveillance, indiscriminate detention to pressure to reveal sources, mostly perpetrated by Nigerian security forces. Read more
Tuesday 5.11.2019 China - Latest Developments
Hong Kong protesters face arrests, excessive force and torture while journalists ill-treated
Over the last two months there have been continued reports of arbitrary arrests, brutal beatings and torture by the police, a ban on face masks and attacks on protest leaders and journalists. Further, protesters have been targeted by trolls on social media and Apple deleted a protest app. Read more
Thursday 31.10.2019 Chile - Latest Developments
“Chile has awoken”: several demonstrators killed and thousands detained in massive protests
Over a million people took to the streets in Chile during October 2019, in what started as a protest against higher transportation tariffs and developed into a nationwide movement. On 4th October 2019, a 30 peso (US$ 0.04) increase in metro fares was announced, prompting student-led protests. As the government cracked down on demonstrators, thousands of people joined in to express their general discontent with Chile’s high living costs and growing inequality. Read more
