Amnesty criticizes ‘dictators’ for silencing protestors in Ferguson

Amnesty International has taken the “unprecedented” step of sending a team to the US to observe the escalating unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and criticizing “dictators for quelling dissent” through forceful measures.

The human rights organization dispatched a delegation to Ferguson on Thursday to observe police tactics and protester activity in the wake of the police shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, on August 9.

It marks the first time Amnesty International, a London-based non-governmental organization that focuses on human rights, has deployed a team to the US.

Amnesty USA’s executive director Steven W. Hawkins issued a scathing statement on Saturday after Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and put a curfew in place in Ferguson following angry protests over the death of 18-year-old Brown.

“We criticize dictators for quelling dissent and silencing protestors with tactics like curfews, we’ll certainly speak out when it’s happening in our own backyard,” he said. “The people of Ferguson have the right to protest peacefully the lack of accountability for Michael Brown’s shooting.”

In an interview Sunday afternoon, Jasmine Heiss, a senior campaigner with Amnesty and part of the team in Ferguson, said because of limits police placed on Amnesty’s access, “It was very difficult to see anything once the curfew went into effect last night.”

On Thursday, Amnesty said a “prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation” into Brown’s death must be launched without delay.

The rights group also said an investigation into the “use of heavy-handed tactics to disperse a wave of protests” in the wake of the shooting must be swiftly launched.

“What is now urgently needed are thorough investigations, not further inflammation, of the incredibly tense situation in the aftermath of Michael Brown being shot dead,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

“Any police officer suspected of having committed unlawful acts must be held to account through effective investigation and, where warranted, prosecution,” Rosas said.

“Using excessive force to quell protests is unacceptable. Police in Ferguson must conform to the US Constitution and international standards on the use of force and firearms. Residents must be allowed to peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression and journalists must not be prevented from carrying out their work,” she added.

Amnesty International USA wrote to the Ferguson Police Department on August 13 to express its deep concern over the shooting incident and the subsequent use of tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters.

On Sunday, after the Amnesty team examined the situation in Ferguson, Amnesty International USA released three recommendations going forward:

• A prompt, thorough, independent, and impartial investigation into the shooting of Brown must take place. Brown’s family must be kept informed throughout the investigation. Under international law, police officers suspected of having committed unlawful acts must be held to account through effective investigation, and where warranted, prosecuted.

• All police departments involved in policing the ongoing protests in Ferguson in response to Brown’s death must act in accordance with international human rights standards. Any human rights abuses in connection with the policing of protests must be independently and impartially investigated, and those responsible held accountable.

• A thorough review of all trainings, policies, and procedures with regards to the use of force and the policing of protests should be undertaken.

President Barack Obama returned to the White House from his Martha’s Vineyard vacation late Sunday night and is scheduled to have meetings at the White House on Monday and Tuesday, including sessions devoted to airstrikes in Iraq and the unrest in Ferguson.

Attorney General Eric Holder will brief Obama on possible actions the federal government can take to quell the mounting unrest.

Meanwhile, a preliminary autopsy has found that Brown was shot at least six times, including twice in the head.