Repression of social protest among the main concerns of human rights organizations

Episodes such as the social violence in Nepal months ago or the repressive deployment in Argentina over the past two years have put human rights bodies on alert over the “normalization” of the persecution of demonstrations.

Acts of repression against social demonstrations have been one of the issues that has sparked the most controversy in the human rights debate in many parts of the country. Although various parts of the world have been the scene of such conflicts, Argentina has been one of the places with the greatest global repercussions as far as Latin America is concerned, especially in recent months following the performance of the Argentine government's representatives before the United Nations. The open vindication of its repressive security policies raised concern among international bodies about a problem that is growing worldwide.

In widespread contexts of economic crisis, social unrest and sharp polarization amid internal and international confrontations, social demonstration in public space becomes one of civil society's key tools for expressing its discontent with the government and its institutions. Prominent cases this year, such as the popular uprising in Nepal, which led to the resignation of its head of government, reflected the political and cultural transformations that societies have undergone in the last decade. In this context, the repressive response by governments has become a central focus of debate at the international diplomatic level.

In view of the aforementioned case of Argentina, Amnesty International (AI) released a new report last week, marking two years since the implementation of the so-called “anti-picket protocol” in December 2023. The scheme, presented as a security and control framework by the Argentine Ministry of Security, became the focus of widespread condemnation for its spirit of repressing political dissent and, moreover, the gateway to a series of violations of civil liberties that came along with it.

Amnesty warned of how this policy has triggered a sharp escalation of repression by state security forces, in a climate of social violence that, far from containing the population's discontent, has tended to silence freedom of expression. Mass demonstrations by university students, labor unions, political groups, retiree collectives and cultural workers, among others, were the favorite targets of repressive operations in public space. These included attacks with rubber-bullet weapons, tear gas, water cannon trucks and arbitrary arrests. 

Actions of this kind, Amnesty International denounces, have ended up “normalizing” repressive violence by state security forces, not only by giving the police free rein but also through the legitimacy granted by the aggressive rhetoric of government authorities themselves. 

The delicate precedent before the UN

Undoubtedly, one of the most striking episodes regarding repression was Argentina's conduct before the United Nations Committee against Torture. There, a delegation from the government of Javier Milei had to appear in response to the reports submitted at the international level by some twenty human rights organizations, which were then reviewed by the Committee. The Argentine delegation not only failed to acknowledge the multiple complaints of attacks on freedom of expression and freedom of the press, cases of institutional violence and arbitrary arrests at protests, but also vindicated the country's security doctrine with a denialist discourse. The words of the Argentine delegation drew an immediate reaction from bodies such as the IACHR and AI.  

Repression of protest around the world

 The social upheaval in Nepal this year left one of the bloodiest images of the year in terms of the repression of protest, with a toll of almost 20 dead and hundreds injured. The uprising of the so-called Generation Z and the consequent violent response by the then-ruling government were a sign of the social transformations emerging in the world and of the need for a call for social restraint.

This was the message expressed by the United Nations after the institutional reorganization in Nepal was completed, in an assessment of the events. The international body stressed to the incoming government that violence “is not the solution” and urged the new administration to respect human rights, as well as to protect freedom of expression, the right to information and democratic transparency.

In October of this year, Ecuador was also the scene of serious allegations regarding repression. The International Service for Human Rights spoke out on the matter, condemning the excessive use of force by the state against the social demonstrations taking place in that country. 

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia