India, Oct. 19 -- Amnesty International said in a statement today that initial reports suggest Portuguese police deployed excessive force to disperse a peaceful protest camp in Porto in the early hours of Oct. 15, injuring 37 people, and called for an independent investigation into the police operation.
Call for investigation and accountability
Amnesty International said reports of police violence against people peacefully protesting Portugal’s housing crisis were “deeply troubling,” and said the Portuguese authorities must respect and protect the right to protest peacefully, including the right to occupy public space and at night-time.
João Godinho Martins, Executive Director of Amnesty International Portugal, said dispersal of peaceful...