Nils Melzer, the United Nation’s special rapporteur on torture, has issued a request for information after a video showing a German police officer throwing an elderly woman to the floor during a protest went viral online.
The footage, allegedly recorded during the anti-Covid-19 lockdown protests in Berlin on Sunday, showed the woman attempting to walk past an officer before he grabbed onto her neck with both hands and threw her forcefully to the ground.
Fellow protesters could be seen in the video admonishing the officer and trying to help the injured woman, as several officers continued to push others in the area with less force.
Melzer – who is also the human rights chair at the Geneva Academy in Switzerland – confirmed on Sunday that the video had been brought to his attention. He has requested both witness statements and details on whether “an official investigation has been launched.”
Forsided, 02.08.2021
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