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Protest rights crushed

Security forces’ use of excessive or lethal force against protests was documented in more than 15 countries across the region, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

In Myanmar, scores of peaceful protesters were prosecuted for demanding the protection and safe movement of civilians trapped by armed conflict in Kachin State.[1] Seven protesters were shot dead at a protest in January, in the Rakhine State, after a local gathering celebrating the historical Buddhist Arakan kingdom turned violent.[2]

In India, police fired live ammunition into a crowd protesting against pollution in May, killing at least ten people

In the West Papuan region of Indonesia, security forces dispersed peaceful protests calling for independence from Indonesia and respect for human rights.

 

[1] Civicus, Monitor: Tracking Civic Space, n.d., available at https://monitor.civicus.org/

[2] Yimou Lee, Shoon Naing and Thu Thu Aung, ‘Myanmar police shoot dead seven protesters in troubled Rakhine’, Reuters, 17 January 2018, available at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-arakan/myanmar-police-shoot-dead-seven-protesters-in-troubled-rakhine-idUSKBN1F60HW