GENEVA (8 November 2019) – UN human rights experts* have condemned the excessive use of force by security forces in Chile during the recent weeks of protests.
At least 20 people are reported to have been killed and about 1600 hurt, including police officers, during protests that began in early October over rising transport costs, and deeply entrenched inequality. A state of emergency was declared in a number of provinces on 19 October amid escalating violence. Thousands of people have also been detained, including children and adolescents.
“Violence can never be the answer to people’s social and political demands, the high number of wounded and the way in which non-lethal weapons have been used seems to indicate that the use of force was excessive and violated the requirements of necessity and proportionality,” said the experts who are appointed by the Human Rights Council and serve in their personal capacities
They experts are also deeply concerned by reports of the excessive use of force against individuals before detention and reports of abuses perpetrated against children, ill-treatment and beatings that could constitute torture. There have also been reports of sexual violence against women, men and adolescents, including practices such as forced stripping, touching and rape in detention. “Women and children have been actively participating in the ongoing protests and the State must address their specific protection concerns”, the experts said.
The independent experts rejected all acts of violence committed by private individuals, reminding that “the Government of Chile has an obligation not only to respect human rights but to protect people against violent acts committed by private individuals. It must allow protests to take place by isolating those who resort to violence, while guaranteeing that everyone in the country can enjoy their rights.”
The independent experts welcomed the decision of the authorities to invite a mission from the UN Human Rights Office to the country. The mission will assess the human rights situation related to protests and the state of emergency in Chile, including the identification of the main patterns of human rights violations, the analysis of the response of Chilean state institutions as well as the causes related to the protests.
Finally, the experts have engaged in correspondence with the authorities and discussed their expressed willingness to pursue and determine the responsibilities in cases of human rights violations, in particular those committed by agents of the State.
ENDS
(*) The experts: Mr. Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Mr. David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Mr. Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, Special Rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association; Mr. José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working group on Arbitrary Detention; Ms Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Mr. Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; and Ms Meskerem Geset Techane, chair of the UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.
The Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights country page – Chile
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