UN and AU experts call for release of detainees following protests in Chad

Hundreds of people detained in recent protests in Chad, in which nearly 80 people were killed in a harsh police crackdown, must be released as soon as possible, United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) spokespersons said Wednesday.
 
"We urge the release of these individuals, whose only crime was to exercise their right to peaceful assembly, and call on all parties to exercise restraint," UN representative Clément Nyaletossi and his AU counterpart Rémy Ngoy said in a statement.
 
The two experts also condemned the use of lethal force by the security forces, but also denounced some acts of violence by demonstrators following the crackdown.
 
"The Chadian authorities have an obligation to undertake impartial, prompt and effective investigations into human rights violations that may have occurred during the response to the protests," they stressed.
 
At least 76 people were killed in protests against the transitional government by police in different cities across the country on Thursday, 20 October.
 
The protests were called to peacefully express disagreement with the extension of the transitional period in Chad and to demand that transitional President General Mahamat Idriss Déby ItnoDéby Itno hand over power to a civilian leader.