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UN experts urge France to scrap its controversial security bill

A group of independent United Nations experts on Thursday urged France to revise its controversial proposed security law, branding it "incompatible" with international human rights legislation.

Published: 3 December 2020 16:29 CET

UN experts urge France to scrap its controversial security bill

The security bill has prompted huge protests in France. Photo: AFP

The five UN special rapporteurs, who do not speak for the global body but report their findings to the Human Rights Council, said the draft law “should be comprehensively revised”.

The bill's Article 22 would allow drone surveillance for security purposes, while Article 24 would criminalise publishing images of on-duty police with the intent of harming their “physical or psychological integrity”.

READ ALSO Drones and surveillance cameras: France's new security bill explained

The French government has come under increasing pressure to scrap or revise the bill as outrage has grown over a highly publicised case of police violence.

Four French police officers were charged this week after being caught on camera beating black music producer Michel Zecler and showering him with racial abuse.

Thousands meanwhile demonstrated against the proposals at the weekend, some rallies turning violent and leaving dozens injured.

Though the UN experts welcomed a planned rewrite of Article 24, they urged the French government to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the entire bill's compatibility with international law.

“Images of police abuse captured by the public play a vital role in oversight of public institutions, which is fundamental to the rule of law,” said the special rapporteurs, including the UN's top experts on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the protection of human rights while countering terrorism.

READ ALSO The new French law that restricts photos and videos of police

“Simply rewriting Article 24 will not solve its flaws, and the provision is certainly not the only one that infringes on fundamental human rights,” they added.

On Article 22, they said that permitting drone surveillance for security and counter-terrorism would allow “widespread surveillance, in particular of demonstrators”.

“This has serious implications for the right to privacy, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” they said.

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8 things you never knew about Andorra

This week, Andorra passed a law setting a minimum Catalan language requirement for foreign residents.

It’s not often the tiny, independent principality in the mountains makes the news – other than, perhaps, when its national football team loses (again) to a rather larger rival in international qualifying competitions.

The national side are due to play Spain in early June, as part of the larger nation’s warm-up for the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. Here, then, in case you’re watching that match, at Estadio Nuevo Vivero, are a few facts about Andorra that you can astound your fellow football fans with…

Size matters

Small though it is – it has an area of just 468 square kilometres, a little more than half the size of the greater Paris area – there are five smaller states in Europe, 15 smaller countries in the world by area, and 10 smaller by population.

People

Its population in 2023 was 81,588. That’s fewer people than the city of Pau, in southwest France (which is itself the 65th largest town in France, by population).

High-living

The principality’s capital, Andorra la Vella (population c20,000 – about the same population as Dax) is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres above sea level.

Spoken words

The official language – and the one you’ll need for a residency permit – is Catalan. But visitors will find Spanish, Portuguese and French are also commonly spoken, and a fair few people will speak some English, too.

Sport

We’ve already mentioned the football. But Andorra’s main claim to sporting fame is as a renowned winter sports venue. With about 350km of ski runs, across 3,100 hectares of mountainous terrain, it boasts the largest ski area in the Pyrenees.

Economic model

Tourism, the mainstay of the economy, accounts for roughly 80 percent of Andorra’s GDP. More than 10 million tourists visit every year.

It also has no sales tax on most items – which is why you’ll often find a queue at the French border as locals pop into the principality to buy things like alcohol, cigarettes and (bizarrely) washing powder, which are significantly cheaper.

Head of state

Andorra has two heads of state, because history. It’s believed the principality was created by Charlemagne (c748 – 814CE), and was ruled by the count of Urgell up to 988CE, when it was handed over to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell. The principality, as we know it today, was formed by a treaty between the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix in 1278.

Today, the state is jointly ruled by two co-princes: the bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain and … the president of France, who (despite the French aversion to monarchy and nobility) has the title Prince of Andorra, following the transfer of the count of Foix’s claims to the Crown of France and, subsequently, to the head of state of the French Republic.

Military, of sorts

Andorra does have a small, mostly ceremonial army. But all able-bodied Andorran men aged between 21 and 60 are obliged to respond to emergency situations, including natural disasters.

Legally, a rifle should be kept and maintained in every Andorran household – though the same law also states that the police will supply a firearm if one is required.

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