The Council of Europe has expressed its concern
regarding the ''disproportionate use of force and inappropriate use of
anti-riot weapons by police on demonstrators during last week's
protests'' during the past week in Catalonia.
Commissioner for human rights Duna Mitjatović has cited the ''misuse
of rubber and foam bullets,'' which have led to four known serious eye
injuries during the demonstrations in response to the verdict of the
Catalan Trial, issued on October 14.
Mitjatović has therefore
urged that ''Spanish authorities reconsider the use of these weapons in
operations aimed at managing public demonstrations,'' and that they must
''investigate and adequately sanction all reported instances of abusive
use of force by law enforcement officials.''
This letter mirrors that of her predecessor,
Nils Muižnieks, who in 2017 wrote a letter to Interior Minister of
Spain at the time Juan Ignacio Zoido raising his concerns over
disproportionate use of force by police during the crackdown of the
independence referendum for which 9 leaders were now sentenced to prison
terms between 9 and 13 years.
Furthermore, current commissioner Mijatović has urged for the ''protection of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,'' after nearly 65 journalists were injured over the course of last week.
She voiced her concern regarding ''attacks carried
out by demonstrators'' but also ''violent behaviour at the hands of
police officers,'' which has involved beatings, broken equipment and
even being shot at with foam bullets.
The council remarked that there is ''growing
insecurity for journalists reporting on the situation in Catalonia in
recent months.'' They have called on Spanish authorities to act by
''investigating all reported cases of attacks against journalists,
whether they were carried out by police officers or demonstrators'' and
to take measures to ''guarantee the safety of all journalists during
demonstrations.''
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