Status: 19/09/2023, 13:07 p.m.
By: Robert Wagner
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Amnesty is seeing more repression against protesters – especially climate activists. For the first time, Germany is denounced on a list – along with Iran.
Berlin - The human rights organization Amnesty International is observing an increasing restriction of freedom of assembly in Germany. On a digital map of the world published on Tuesday (19 September), the NGO lists countries where protests by the state are suppressed and crushed in an undemocratic way, according to a press release.
On this "Protest Map", Amnesty lists for the first time Germany as a country in which freedom of assembly is increasingly restricted "by preventive detention, pain attacks, repressive legislation and bans on assembly". "In Germany, protests are sometimes perceived by state authorities as a threat to public safety and order and are therefore restricted. This is a matter of great concern to us," says Paula Zimmermann, an expert on freedom of expression and assembly at Amnesty International in Germany.
Amnesty International on Germany: Climate activists are victims of "increasing repression"
In Germany, climate activists in particular are exposed to "increasing repression". In Bavaria, dozens of activists, mostly from the "Last Generation" climate movement, have been taken into preventive detention for up to 2022 days since October 30. Instead of preventing serious crime, as originally intended, this measure is used for deterrence purposes, Zimmermann said. "This circumvents the right to a fair trial and constitutes a violation of human rights." With the raid on the "Last Generation" last May, Amnesty saw "a new level of escalation reached".
Police forces break up a road blockade of the "Last Generation" in Berlin. Pain grips like the one used here are sharply criticized by Amnesty International. © IMAGO/aal.photo
Preventive bans on gatherings have also been issued in some cities in Germany in order to prevent unwelcome climate protests in advance. Pro-Palestinian rallies in Berlin on the occasion of Nakba Remembrance Day were also preventively banned in 2022 and 2023. Amnesty criticises such bans on assemblies "as disproportionate due to their sweeping nature" and classifies them as questionable from a human rights point of view, as "they refer to stigmatising and discriminatory stereotypes".
Despite climate protests: Amnesty International appeals – "Protect freedom of assembly in Germany"
Amnesty also speaks of "excessive police violence", which in turn would particularly affect climate activists. Painful special grips, called pain grips, would be used specifically to dissolve their protest actions. This practice, used against peaceful protesters, violates the principle of proportionality. "In some cases, these techniques can even constitute degrading or inhumane treatment and thus violate the prohibition of torture," says Zimmermann.
Overall, protest as such in Germany is "partly criminalized and demonized, instead of being respected as a human right and recognized as the core of a vibrant civil society," said Amnesty official Zimmermann. "We appeal to the federal and state governments to comprehensively protect freedom of assembly in Germany."
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Amnesty International sees a worldwide trend towards more repression against protesters
According to Amnesty, Germany is not alone in its trend towards more repression against protesters, even if the extent of repression is comparatively limited. The human rights organization notes a worldwide increase in state repression of protests. For the "Protest Map", 156 countries were examined. In at least 86 of them, the authorities used "unlawful violence" and "repressive laws" against protests.
Protesters were arbitrarily detained in 79 countries and lethal weapons were even used in 37 countries. In Peru, for example, 49 protesters were killed by security forces. The situation in Iran is particularly bad. The regime there has murdered hundreds and arbitrarily detained tens of thousands, including children. Numerous people were tortured in custody and also abused by means of sexualized violence.