Concerns in Europe: January - June 2001
67
Amnesty International September 2001
AI Index: EUR 01/003/2001
his stomach, strapped down on a trolley and
handcuffed, from the emergency ward to the
psychiatric clinic. A doctor, a nurse, and four
policemen were with him while he was transported. It
was reported that during this transport, one of the
officers knelt on his back. On the journey Peter
Andersson became lifeless and resuscitation attempts
were ineffective. Although the report of the initial
post-mortem examination did not find any obvious
cause of death, it said that the testimonies of
eyewitnesses and some of the physical evidence
strongly indicated that the cause of death was
suffocation through chest compression. The post-
mortem report also stated that Peter Andersson’s
intake of amphetamines may have caused physical and
mental exhaustion which affected the heart and blood
circulation.
The shooting of Idris Demir
Idris Demir, a 27-year-old asylum-seeker from
Kurdistan, was shot dead by a policeman in Jönköping
on 9 March. Two versions of the events have been
reported. The police stated that during a routine check,
two police officers stopped two men driving a car.
Only the driver spoke English, and the policemen
asked for the driving licence. The driver said he had
the driving licence in a flat in Råslätt, outside
Jönköping. The police car followed the two men to the
flat. When in the flat, the driver admitted that he had
no driving licence, grabbed a carving knife, held it to
his own throat, and threatened to kill himself. At this
time the policemen did not know that the driver, Idris
Demir, had been ordered to leave Sweden after his
asylum claim was rejected. Idris Demir ran out of the
apartment and into the elevator. The police stated that
Idris Demir, when confronted by one policeman,
attacked the officer with a knife. The second
policeman then fired his gun, which hit Idris Demir in
the chest. Idris Demir then reportedly stumbled down
the stairs and died where he landed. The police
authorities said that the police fired in self-defence.
A different version of the incident was given by
Idris Demir’s friend, who witnessed the killing.
According to him, Idris Demir did not attack the
police, but was shot in the back on his way down the
stairs trying to run away from the policemen. The
witness stated that Idris Demir was afraid of being sent
back to Turkey if he was caught by police.
In May, it was reported that the Chief Prosecutor
in charge of the investigation had decided to start a
prosecution against the police officer who shot Idris
Demir. The police officer is charged with two counts:
gross assault and gross causing of another person’s
death. The trial is set to start in October.
Police shootings and allegations of ill-
treatment during the EU summit in Gothenburg
AI received reports that during the European Union
summit in Gothenburg on 14 to 16 June 2001 the
police used excessive force during the anti-
globalization demonstrations, some of which
degenerated into violence and caused injuries to
people and significant damage to property. It was
reported in the media that 118 people were injured,
including 56 police officers; among them 43 people
were hospitalized including a policeman with a
serious head injury caused by a rock hurled by a
protester. Although AI does not condone violent
attacks on the police, the police, as law enforcement
officials, are obliged to act at all times in accordance
with national law and international treaties which have
been ratified by Sweden, as well as other well-
established international standards.
In particular, AI was concerned that the police
used live ammunition, and that as a consequence,
three people suffered gunshot wounds on Friday
evening, 15 June. It was alleged that the firing of shots
at demonstrators was not preceded by warning shots.
The use by police of firearms in these circumstances
may have violated international standards, including
the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and
Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials which protect
the right to life and prescribe the circumstances in
which firearms may be used. According to these
principles, which have been accepted internationally,
law enforcement officials shall only use firearms if
other means remain ineffective or without any
promise of achieving the intended result. Firearms
may be used against people only after giving warning,
in order to prevent death or serious injuries, where less
extreme means are insufficient to achieve such
objectives. In doing so, law enforcement officials
must respect and preserve human life, and minimize
damage and injury. Firearms may only be used in the
dispersal of violent assemblies when less dangerous
means are not practicable, and only to the minimum
extent necessary. The principles underscore that
intentional lethal use of firearms may be made only
when it is strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.
AI urged the government to initiate an
independent investigation into the full circumstances
of the shootings. The investigation should be prompt,
thorough, and impartial, and its scope, methods and
findings should be made public. The organization also
urged the government to take all necessary measures
to ensure that the police are adequately equipped and
trained to employ legitimate non-lethal methods of
crowd control, and that they are subject to strict
regulations regarding the use of such methods, and to
a strict system of accountability.
The organization was concerned about allegations
that police used excessive force against demonstrators
who were not involved in violent protest, including
beatings with batons. The organization was also
concerned about reports that police officers kicked or
beat people with batons after they had been detained
and, in some instances, restrained with their hands tied
behind their back, lying down on the ground.
Furthermore, it was reported that people were
detained arbitrarily without charge, in some instances
for many hours, during police actions at two schools.
Up to 100 people have made complaints against the
police, including for ill-treatment or illegal detention.
The complaints of illegal detention appeared to stem