HRC55: The United Against Torture Consortium welcomes a set of new standards to protect protesters’ rights

Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clément Voule

Oral statement, Association for the Prevention of Torture on behalf of the United Against Torture Consortium

7 March 2024

Mr. President, Mr. Special Rapporteur, Excellencies,

The Association for the Prevention of Torture, jointly with the members of the United Against Torture Consortium, welcomes the publication of the Model Protocol for Law Enforcement Officials to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests.

There is great concern about widespread violations of the right to be free from torture and other ill-treatment before, during and after protests across the globe. Only in the last few weeks, countless examples of police brutality have been reported in Argentina, Senegal, Russia and the occupied Palestinian territories, in breach of the Convention against Torture.

The publication of the Protocol could not be more timely. It contains critical safeguards to prevent and protect from torture and other ill-treatment, in line with its absolute prohibition, even when a protest is no longer peaceful.

It recalls that the use of force and the dispersal of protests should be only the last resort while providing guidelines to ensure the peaceful facilitation of assemblies. Those include the need to prioritize dialogue and information exchange with protest organizers, monitors and other stakeholders; the protection of the right to monitor and report human rights violations, the importance of adopting precautions against disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force, firearms and other weapons; as well preventive measures against the unlawful arrest of protesters and torture upon arrest.

Mr. Special Rapporteur,

We would be grateful to know the steps envisaged to widely disseminate and promote the implementation of the protocol by the mandate and other involved actors?

Thank you.

Statement delivered by Valentina Cadelo, APT Senior Adviser Law and Advocacy E: vcadelo@apt.ch