{"id":80040,"date":"2023-11-09T15:57:36","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T20:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dejusticia.org\/?p=80040"},"modified":"2023-11-10T10:15:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T15:15:17","slug":"police-abuse-with-less-lethal-weapons-in-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.dejusticia.org\/en\/police-abuse-with-less-lethal-weapons-in-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"Police abuse with less lethal weapons in protests: our complaint before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twenty-three international organizations have come together to condemn state violence amid the increasing use of less lethal weapons in public demonstrations and the violation of human rights by security forces. This comes in the context of a regional hearing<\/a><\/strong> on the use of force in social protests, held this thursday at the headquarters of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington DC, United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The hearing aims to express concern over the use of weapons such as kinetic impact projectiles and tear gas cartridges. Some of these weapons discharge multiple projectiles simultaneously, making them inherently indiscriminate. Others have metallic components that can cause irreparable damage. In both cases, they are inappropriate for use in crowd control. All this weaponry can be misused, leading to serious injuries, permanent disabilities, and in some cases, death. As part of the delegation, Alicia Ruth Tapuy Santi participates in the hearing. She is the widow of Byron Guatatuca, a leader of the Kichwa community in the Puyo area of Ecuador who died after being hit by a tear gas cartridge in the head.<\/span><\/p>\n

The consequences of the irregular use of less lethal weapons by police forces can be observed in various countries:<\/span><\/p>\n