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Laws on the use of force by the police require urgent global reform, UN human rights expert says
GENEVA (13 June 2014) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns, stressed
that laws regulating the use of force –especially lethal force- by the
police are in urgent need of global reform. Mr. Heyns called on the UN
and Governments around the world to launch a campaign to bring all
States’ laws into line with international standards.
“I have examined the laws of 146 States, and many do not meet
international standards,” the expert told the UN Human Rights Council
during the presentation of his report* on the use of lethal force by law
enforcement officials worldwide.
The Special Rapporteur noted that, in some cases, “the discrepancies
are glaring,” and stressed that “the laws in question often come from
the pre-human right era, and in some cases were adopted more than one
hundred years ago.”
“The police are allowed to use deadly force intentionally only when
it is necessary to protect life against an immediate threat, and as a
last resort,” Mr. Heyns said. “Yet in many cases laws merely require the
police to give a warning before they may shoot, or instruct them to
shoot at the legs.”
“This is not nearly enough,’ he underscored.
The expert’s call for a global reform of the laws on the use of force
by the police is particularly relevant to the contemporary world, where
people are taking to the streets in many countries to express
themselves through public demonstrations, and clashes with the police
ensue.
However, Mr. Heyns made clear that changing the laws will in itself
not solve the problem, but it is an important component of the solution.
“Many States realize they need to change their laws, and I will help to
facilitate technical assistance to those States.”
The laws used for the study are accessible to the public on a website that will be kept updated: www.use-of-force.info.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14700&LangID=E
GENEVA (13 June 2014) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns, stressed
that laws regulating the use of force –especially lethal force- by the
police are in urgent need of global reform. Mr. Heyns called on the UN
and Governments around the world to launch a campaign to bring all
States’ laws into line with international standards.
“I have examined the laws of 146 States, and many do not meet
international standards,” the expert told the UN Human Rights Council
during the presentation of his report* on the use of lethal force by law
enforcement officials worldwide.
The Special Rapporteur noted that, in some cases, “the discrepancies
are glaring,” and stressed that “the laws in question often come from
the pre-human right era, and in some cases were adopted more than one
hundred years ago.”
“The police are allowed to use deadly force intentionally only when
it is necessary to protect life against an immediate threat, and as a
last resort,” Mr. Heyns said. “Yet in many cases laws merely require the
police to give a warning before they may shoot, or instruct them to
shoot at the legs.”
“This is not nearly enough,’ he underscored.
The expert’s call for a global reform of the laws on the use of force
by the police is particularly relevant to the contemporary world, where
people are taking to the streets in many countries to express
themselves through public demonstrations, and clashes with the police
ensue.
However, Mr. Heyns made clear that changing the laws will in itself
not solve the problem, but it is an important component of the solution.
“Many States realize they need to change their laws, and I will help to
facilitate technical assistance to those States.”
The laws used for the study are accessible to the public on a website that will be kept updated: www.use-of-force.info.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14700&LangID=E
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns, stressed
that laws regulating the use of force –especially lethal force- by the
police are in urgent need of global reform. Mr. Heyns called on the UN
and Governments around the world to launch a campaign to bring all
States’ laws into line with international standards.
“I have examined the laws of 146 States, and many do not meet
international standards,” the expert told the UN Human Rights Council
during the presentation of his report* on the use of lethal force by law
enforcement officials worldwide.
The Special Rapporteur noted that, in some cases, “the discrepancies
are glaring,” and stressed that “the laws in question often come from
the pre-human right era, and in some cases were adopted more than one
hundred years ago.”
“The police are allowed to use deadly force intentionally only when
it is necessary to protect life against an immediate threat, and as a
last resort,” Mr. Heyns said. “Yet in many cases laws merely require the
police to give a warning before they may shoot, or instruct them to
shoot at the legs.”
“This is not nearly enough,’ he underscored.
The expert’s call for a global reform of the laws on the use of force
by the police is particularly relevant to the contemporary world, where
people are taking to the streets in many countries to express
themselves through public demonstrations, and clashes with the police
ensue.
However, Mr. Heyns made clear that changing the laws will in itself
not solve the problem, but it is an important component of the solution.
“Many States realize they need to change their laws, and I will help to
facilitate technical assistance to those States.”
The laws used for the study are accessible to the public on a website that will be kept updated: www.use-of-force.info.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14700&LangID=E
