Chemical irritants in law enforcement
Across the world, from the streets of Thailand to Philadelphia (USA), from Greece to Chile, the police continue to use tear gas and pepper spray unlawfully and unnecessarily, resulting in serious injury and even death.
In countless cases, police are too quick to disperse peaceful protesters through the use of force instead of seeking peaceful conflict resolution resorting to tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons in an arbitrary, abusive or excessive way, often with little or no accountability.
Amnesty International is responding to this serious deficiency in law enforcement by publishing a comprehensive new paper to ensure that police only use tear gas and pepper spray lawfully. The organization urges governments to bring national law and implementation in line with 30 rules for the use of chemical irritants in law enforcement.
