Authorities respond violently to protests

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk deplores the lethal use of force against protesters in several cities in Chad, including killings by live ammunition. Our Office has also received reports of violence by protesters following the lethal repression, including attacks on property. We call for calm and for all sides to show restraint.

The authorities have said some 50 people were killed and nearly 300 injured in Thursday’s demonstrations against the 24-month extension of the transition. Our Office has been informed that one of those killed was a journalist. We have also received reports that at least 500 people were arrested.

The OHCHR Chad Office received information from several sources that early in the morning of 20 October, several hundred protesters, mostly young people, started demonstrating in N´Djamena, and that internal security forces used tear gas and fired live ammunition to disperse the protesters.

We remind Chad that it is bound by its obligations under international human rights law to protect and respect human rights, including the right to life, and to ensure the exercise of the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of opinion and expression.

Defence and security forces must refrain from the use of force against peaceful protesters and ensure that force is not used unless strictly necessary and, if so, in full compliance with the principles of legality, precaution, and proportionality.

All those detained for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly must also be promptly released.

We also call on all relevant State institutions to conduct impartial, prompt, effective investigations into any human rights violations that may have occurred – including the apparent use of unnecessary or disproportionate force to disperse protests.

The United Nations also expresses its solidarity with the population impacted by severe floods in the country, and we call on international partners to continue to provide assistance to Chad.