HRW: US Police Must Respect Protesters’ Rights in Ferguson

Local Editor

Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday that the police in Ferguson in the US state of Missouri must allow peaceful protest after the coming decision by a grand jury on the Michael Brown case, and that law enforcement abuses like those of August are unacceptable.

A grand jury is soon due to decide on whether to indict a Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson, for the fatal shooting of an unarmed African American teenager, Michael Brown, in August.

After Brown was killed by the US police officer, there were massive demonstrations which began on August 10.
HRW found serious problems in how the police responded to the crisis, including intimidation of protesters and infringing on their rights to freedom of expression and the right to assembly, both of which are enshrined in the US Constitution and international law.

HRW also concluded that law enforcement agencies used disproportionate and unnecessary force and obstructed the media from gathering news on the protests.

Criminal justice researcher with the US program at Human Rights Watch, Alba Morales, said that, "Respect for protesters' rights should be at the heart of an effective law enforcement response to any demonstrations in Ferguson. While Missouri understandably wants to be prepared for the risk of unrest, state and local officials need to make clear that abuses like those in August are unacceptable."

Moreover, the governor of the state Jay Nixon declared a 17-day ‘state of emergency' recently this week on November 17 fearing the "possibility of expanded unrest".

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team