France: Permanently ban the use of all stun grenades in policing of protests
Reacting to an announcement today by France’s Interior Minister that the use of stun grenades in the policing of high school student protests will be temporarily suspended, Anne Savinel-Barras, President of Amnesty International France, said:
“While the suspension of the use of these grenades in the policing of the current high school student protests is an important and welcome first step, further action is needed. These dangerous devices, which have a long history of causing serious injuries, must be permanently banned from the policing of all protests. Failure to do so will inevitably result in more serious and preventable injuries.
“Protests should not be battlefields. Stun grenades are designed to shock, disorient, and sow panic, often among dense crowds at demonstrations. Some can cause permanent hearing loss as well as life-changing mutilations due to the blast and shrapnel.
“A permanent ban on the use of all stun grenades in the policing of all public assemblies must be part of a complete overhaul of regulations around the use of force against all protesters, to ensure France fulfils all its obligations under international human rights law, including the right to peaceful assembly.