Protesting without fear: a policy framework to end torture and ill-treatment in the context of protests | UATC, 2025

The use of torture and other ill-treatment by law enforcement officials during protests, often used to discriminate, punish or intimidate individuals exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, constitutes a deeply entrenched and growing problem. Yet, incidents of police brutality in protest contexts are rarely recognised—whether by public officials or the broader public—as violations of the right to be free from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment (hereinafter “other ill-treatment” or CIDTP). This lack of recognition undermines accountability, hinders the adoption of preventive measures and access to justice and allows such violations to persist with impunity.
This policy paper (drafted under the guidance of the United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) Working Group on Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in the Context of Protests and Other Assemblies, composed of a global and multidisciplinary group of representatives from international expert bodies and civil society organisations) addresses this critical issue and aims to provide a series of legally grounded and practically oriented recommendations to State actors based on the application of the international anti-torture framework, a powerful yet underutilised tool for prevention, protection and redress.