If organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House are really interested in human rights, first of all, they should pay attention to police arresting people in French cities, mass attacks on members of the media, as well as the fact that more than 1,000 citizens are victims of police violence in the United States every year..." But Amnesty International is deaf, blind, and mute when it comes to these issues."
Bahruz Maharramov, a member of the Legal Policy and State Building Committee of the Milli Majlis, said this in his statement to Pravda.az.
But have these organizations really remained silent on the police violence in France and the killing of more than 1,000 citizens by the police in the United States?
Fakt Yoxla checked whether this claim was true.
Amnesty International – France
In a statement published in 2021, the agency confirmed the misuse of tear gas by police forces in France in the second half of 2020. In its report for 2022, the organization said that no action was taken against the excessive use of force by the French police. Systematic racial discrimination by French police continued, with a prosecutor deciding to close the case of a young man who lost his hand due to the dangerous use of special equipment by police, arguing that the use of force was necessary and proportionate. Furthermore, there was no progress towards securing justice, truth, and reparation for the death of Zineb Redouane, who died after she was struck in the face by a tear gas canister fired by police during a protest.
In statements published on July 12 and 13, 2023, the organization assessed the killing of 17-year-old Nahel M by French police as an illegal and violent incident and called on the French government to end systemic racism in law enforcement, respect the right to peaceful assembly, and establish an independent body responsible for investigating complaints.
Amnesty International issued a statement on April 24, 2023, and noted that President Macron's first term of office was not exemplary in the field of human rights. The organization demanded that Macron respect fundamental human rights during his second presidency.
Amnesty International – USA
In its 2022 report on the United States, Amnesty International mentioned the use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies as one of the violations of law in the United States.
It was reported that more than 75 protesters were arrested in connection with the protests that took place in Ohio in June after Jayland Walker, a black man, was killed by police with 46 bullets. It was also emphasized that at least 1,093 people were killed by the police in 2022 and that black people predominated among those killed. More than a decade after dozens of detainees were held in a secret CIA facility between 2001 and 2009, no one has been brought to justice for systematic human rights abuses, including kidnapping, torture, and other ill-treatment.
In its statement, the organization confirmed the abuse of tear gas by police forces in the second half of 2020 in the United States. It was reported that in dozens of US cities, a number of law enforcement agencies targeted protesters of the peaceful "Black Lives Matter" movement with tear gas.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) – France
HRW said in a statement published in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic that the police in France have shown abusive, violent, and discriminatory attitudes towards people during quarantine detentions, accompanied by sometimes racist insults, and this behavior was not new in France. It was reported that for years, various organizations have criticized the French police's racial discrimination, especially against black and Arab men, during ID checks. Before that, on March 27, 22 organizations, including HRW, declared that the French authorities should ensure that the police do not allow abuse during operations in the fight against the pandemic.
On May 5, 2021, HRW reported that the French police deported dozens of orphaned children to Italy every month, violating French and international laws. In a statement published a few months later, it was noted that French officials subjected those living in migrant camps to degrading treatment. Some police officers told the observers that they could not film police operations illegally and threatened them with arrest.
In April 2022, the statement published after the election of Emmanuel Macron as the President of France for the 2nd time mentioned human rights problems in France.
In a report published on January 5, 2023, HRW criticized the use of excessive force by the police during the protests in France, the police harming the protesters and threatening their right to protest.
Human Rights Watch - USA
HRW said in a statement in the summer of 2020 that as a result of the operations carried out in the neighborhoods where black people live, the police surrounded, attacked, and detained hundreds of protesters. The organization assessed this event as "police brutality" and "systemic racism". In its 2022 report, the organization called on the US government to end police abuse and eliminate racism. Furthermore, the organization has issued statements criticizing the actions of the police following the killing of a number of black people by the police at various times (see: 1, 2).
HRW's statement about the operation of the police against migrants on the US-Mexico border stated that the police, knowing that people would suffer, be injured, and die, pushed them in hot weather towards barbed wire and dangerous river currents.
Freedom House – France
Freedom House's 2022 report on France noted that the government's granting of broad powers to law enforcement agencies has resulted in its infringing on individual liberties. The report said that although journalists faced violence during their work, the media generally operated freely and represented a wide range of political views. The organization added that since the 2017 law regulating the use of firearms by police officers, police have increasingly shot and killed people for not following their orders. It was also noted that in December 2022, three people were killed in a racist attack by the police against the Kurdish community center in Paris. Migrants and aid workers in Calais were reportedly mistreated by the police.
Freedom House – USA
The organization's 2022 report on the United States said that the United States has a free press; however, media freedom and independence are somewhat weakened by a number of problems, including economic constraints, partisanship, misinformation, and incidents of violence against journalists.
According to the report, in the context of the 2020 protests in Minnesota that began with the police killing of a black citizen, George Floyd, the police recorded a series of violations, including violence and arbitrary arrests targeting journalists. In recent years, aggressive responses by law enforcement agencies have resulted in police killings of black civilians.
Freedom House emphasized that police are rarely punished for violence against protesters.
Thus, the organizations Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House paid attention to the police violence in France and the killing of more than 1,000 citizens by the police in the United States and have not remained silent.
Fakt Yoxla concludes that the MP’s claim is False.
