On International Human Rights Day, OSCE/ODIHR Director condemns violence against peaceful protesters
Violence against peaceful protesters cannot be justified in any circumstance, and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly must be safeguarded, Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.
Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, delivers a briefing to journalists at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Kyiv, 6 December 2013.
In condemning the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force against peaceful demonstrators, Lenarčič called on states to promote and protect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, in line with OSCE commitments and international standards.
“There can be no justification for physical assaults and violence against peaceful protesters,” the ODIHR Director said. “Any and all reports of the undue use of force against protesters must be promptly and thoroughly investigated. Where there is evidence of such crimes, those suspected must be prosecuted and, if found guilty, they must be punished.”
“While there exist legitimate grounds for the restriction of this freedom, the authorities should always exercise restraint when limiting peaceful assemblies, regardless of where they are held,” he added. “Dispersal should only be a measure of last resort, and force can only be used in a strictly proportionate manner.”
Lenarčič said that grave challenges to the freedom of assembly had been witnessed in a number of OSCE states over the last year.
“From violent crackdowns on peaceful protests to legislative attempts to unduly restrict freedom of assembly, there have been efforts to limit or deny this most basic right,” he said. “The right to freedom of peaceful assembly is directly linked to other fundamental freedoms, such as those of expression and association, and the restriction of any one right is bound to have a broader negative effect on the general human rights situation.”
Assemblies are a key feature of democracy, and it is important that all, including underrepresented or marginalized groups, are able to make their voices heard, the ODIHR director said.
“Instead of treating assemblies as a threat, states should treat them as a legitimate form of public participation,” Lenarčič said. “The protection and promotion of the freedom of peaceful assembly is essential in any truly democratic system.”
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
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