17 December 2020, 00:01 UTC
Abusive policing and excessive reliance on law enforcement to implement COVID-19 response measures have violated human rights and in some instances made the health crisis worse, Amnesty International said today.
In a new briefing,
COVID-19 Crackdowns: Police Abuse and the Global Pandemic, the organization documented cases in 60 countries where law enforcement agencies committed human rights abuses in the name of tackling the virus. This includes cases where people were killed or severely injured for allegedly breaching restrictions, or for protesting against detention conditions.
In Iran for example, security forces reportedly used live ammunition and tear gas to suppress protests over COVID-19 safety fears in prisons, killing and injuring several people. In the first five days alone of a curfew in Kenya, at least seven people were killed and 16 hospitalized as a result of police operations.
Coronavirus pandemic being used as pretext for rights abuses: Amnesty International
By Chad Williams
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Cape Town – Human rights organisation Amnesty International says that governments abusive policing and excessive reliance on law enforcement to implement Covid-19 response measures have violated human rights and in some instances made the health crisis worse.
In a report released on Thursday, the organisation documented cases in 60 countries where law enforcement agencies committed human rights abuses in the name of tackling the virus.
Overall there has been a sharp increase in police brutality around the word as authorities crack down on individuals who don’t follow the restrictions that have been put in place.