not carrying weapons of any type and have provided prior notification as regulated by Law No.
14 of 2017, which amended the Law on the Right to Public Meetings, Processes and Peaceful
Demonstrations promulgated by Law No. 107 of 2013, in accordance with the ruling of the
Supreme Constitutional Court, where the amendment stipulated the issuance of a judicial order
for the revocation, postponement or transfer of the place of public meeting, procession or
demonstration or change of course in the event of the availability of serious information or
indications of the existence of threats to security and peace before the time set for the start of
the event. This legislation withdrew the option of licensing as a condition for the exercise of
these rights and introduced a requirement for the exercise of notification only, which equated
the citizens and the administration before the judiciary. Therefore, the administration no longer
has the right to prevent a meeting or demonstration by a unilateral decision.
8. In line with the recent standards of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
regarding police strategy for dealing with rallies and demonstrations, the Ministry of the Interior
is already taking a number of steps to ensure that law enforcement agencies comply with the
criteria set for the use of force, which include a gradual enforcement of the law by extending the
warning period for violators through the use of water canons in protests to allow for dispersal of
the majority of protesters, and to ensure that tensions are not escalated until after exhausting
the means of negotiation. This should also be achieved through the introduction of a system of
regulations for orders to emanate from the highest security leadership. Different methods of
treatment should be implemented in dealing with children, women and the elderly, Forces
should also be trained in the protection of installations, and in means of controlling riots through
the use of pepper spray. Efforts should equally include the circulation of periodic books and
sustainable instructions related to legal procedures for the protection of human rights, while
performing security functions; and organizing seminars for officers including strengthening their
legal understanding in relation to their duties and use of force within the framework of
international human rights standards. The Police Academy also trains its students to observe
human rights by simulating a number of practical situations (arrest, detention, deportation, and
prisoner treatment) The training module of college students and trainee officers contains
mechanisms for securing peaceful demonstrations, and dealing with riots and sit-ins, as well as
disruption or vandalism of public facilities, taking into account the principles of human rights and
the expansion of training in the use of modern technology in the investigation and the collection
of evidence.
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