Photograph: ANP
The Dutch police violates the appropriate to privateness of demonstrators as a result of, in accordance with Amnesty Worldwide, the powers that the police use for surveillance are formulated too vaguely. After an investigation, the human rights group additionally states that there’s hardly any supervision of the methods through which the police perform surveillance. Protesters discover police actions intimidating and really feel prevented from demonstrating.
Amnesty Worldwide has, amongst different issues, requested paperwork from municipalities and the police about surveillance throughout demonstrations. Fifty protesters had been requested in regards to the methods through which they’re monitored throughout actions and the way this impacts them. Within the report launched on Thursday, the group says that the police are conducting “illegitimate ID checks” to seek out out who a protester is. Amnesty Worldwide desires the “unauthorized surveillance of peaceable demonstrators” to finish and solely for use if “a critical legal offense is suspected.” Along with ID checks, the police additionally use drones throughout demonstrations to observe, for instance.
Director Dagmar Oudshoorn believes that the police have too broad powers to find out for themselves who they examine throughout demonstrations. “This creates an excellent danger of arbitrariness, discrimination and abuse of energy,” she warns.
Since 2016, Amnesty Worldwide has been taking a look at how demonstrators are handled within the Netherlands. This occurs, for instance, throughout actions of Extinction Rebel. Greater than 1,500 demonstrators had been arrested in final Saturday’s motion. Most individuals will not be prosecuted.
