One of France's priorities must be to deal with usage.excessive” force by the police, estimated this Thursday, November 7, the UN Human Rights Committee.
In its recommendations made public at the end of the regular review of this country on October 22 and 23, the committee writes that it “remains concerned about the number of reported cases of excessive use of force“, “particularly during road traffic checks, arrests, forced evacuations and demonstrations“.
Made up of 18 experts responsible for monitoring the application of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, this body presented its conclusions during a press conference, during which its vice-president, José Manuel Santos Pais, declared that it was one of the “urgent priority recommendations” for France.
“Review the legal framework governing the use of force by law enforcement”
The committee highlights the “need to revise the legal framework and operational procedures governing the use of force by law enforcement, including the use of firearms and intermediate weapons disproportionately affecting members of certain minority groups , particularly people of African and Arab descent, indigenous peoples and migrants“.
The use of firearms and intermediate weapons”had serious consequences for mainly protesters and others, with many people going blind, people losing their arms and people being seriously injured“, he added.
“Over the last three to four years (…), we have not seen from the police any form of de-escalation to control the demonstrations, but a position of confrontation with the demonstrations“, the committee continued.
In his recommendations, he says:seriously concerned by the number of deaths resulting from the use of firearms by law enforcement during road traffic controls“. The committee is also concerned about “the apparent lack of appropriate sanctions and cases of apparent impunity“.
He cites the case of the death of Adama Traoré, a young man of African descent who died in 2016 following his arrest by the gendarmes using the tackle/ventral fold, deploring that “person“has been”found responsible for his death“.
In its report, the committee asks France to send it information by November 8, 2027 at the latest on the follow-up it has given to its recommendations regarding the use “excessive” force by the police.
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