Amnesty Digital Map Reveals State Violence Against Peaceful Protesters

Amnesty Digital Map Reveals State Violence Against Peaceful Protesters

Thousands of people are being unlawfully dispersed, arrested, beaten and even killed during demonstrations.

Authorities across the world are increasingly resorting to unlawful use of force and repressive legislation to crush protests, Amnesty International said today (September 19), as it launched an interactive digital map that exposes the shocking rise in the repression of protesters by states across the globe.

The global map, which is part of Amnesty International’s flagship global campaign Protect the Protest, charts the numerous human rights violations perpetrated against protesters around the world. 

It shows how governments treat protests as a threat rather than a right and how law enforcement officials view their role as being to suppress and subdue protesters rather than to facilitate their rights. 

As a result, according to Amnesty, thousands of people are being unlawfully dispersed, arrested, beaten and even killed during demonstrations. They also face devastating consequences afterwards, just for participating in protests.

The interactive digital map reveals how many countries misuse less lethal weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray, and batons to harass, intimidate, punish, or drive away protesters, shutting down their right of peaceful assembly.

Amnesty International’s Protect the Protest global campaign challenges attacks on peaceful protest, stands with those targeted and supports the causes of social movements pushing for human rights change. 

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative tracks the human rights progress of countries, producing data that anyone can use to push for improvements in how governments treat people. It is an independent and non-profit organization.  

In January 2023, more than 30 civil society organizations joined forces to call for an international treaty to control the trade in tools of torture used to repress protesters and abuse detainees around the world.