Amnesty International denounces abusive arrests during protests in France
Police officers holding a protester, November 16, 2019, in Bordeaux, for the first anniversary of the movement of "yellow vests".
MEHDI FEDOUACH / AFP
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Amnesty International is publishing a report on Tuesday 29 September denouncing the arrests and prosecutions of thousands of peaceful demonstrators in France in recent years.
The organization is also making proposals to strengthen this fundamental democratic right of protest.
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Is it more and more difficult to demonstrate in France?
Yes, answers the NGO
Amnesty International
which publishes a report denouncing the arrests and prosecutions of thousands of peaceful demonstrators in France.
It is the movement of "yellow vests" which inspired this report.
Between November 2018 and July 2019, 11,203 protesters were taken into custody, a record.
► To read also
: Act XII of the "yellow vests": police violence in the crosshairs
Among them, there is Frédéric Vuillaume, yellow vest and union delegate in Besançon.
According to him, for two years, everything has been done to prevent demonstrators from taking to the streets.
“
Ah well, the change, he
notes
, is police violence, intimidation.
There was hand gassing, clubbing.
I am 48 years old, I had never been in police custody.
There, I had six police custody and we can tell that it is a repression to scare people.
So, to try to stop people from protesting.
"
Abusive custody
In its report, the organization therefore makes several proposals, in particular to reduce the number of police custody deemed abusive.
"
We ask that the law be much more precise so that the police have clearer instructions so that they can really judge the necessity and the proportionality of the measure that is taken.
Police custody is not at all trivial and it should not lead to frightening demonstrators who did not want to be violent at all
, ”said Cécile Coudriou, president of Amnesty International France.
According to Cécile Coudriou, in recent years France has lost all legitimacy to criticize on the international scene the management of demonstrations by certain countries such as China or Russia.
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