UN calls on France to account for deaths of Kanaks in New Caledonia

The UN Human Rights Committee has called on France to hold accountable those responsible for the use of excessive force against protesters in New Caledonia and to compensate the victims of such actions by French authorities.

The Committee expressed concern in a statement, highlighting that French law enforcement officials had used disproportionate force during protests in New Caledonia, resulting in several deaths and hundreds of injuries, including those among members of the indigenous Kanak people, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

"The Committee is also deeply alarmed by the excessive use of force during the enforcement of order at demonstrations and is particularly concerned that since May 2024, when protests erupted in New Caledonia over a proposed constitutional law change, law enforcement personnel have used excessive force, leading to several deaths," the statement says.

The UN has condemned France for infringing on the rights of foreign migrants, particularly through forced deportations at the Italian border and restricting access to asylum procedures. The UN highlighted that such actions by French authorities show a callous disregard for human lives.

In a statement, the UN Human Rights Committee urged France to intensify its efforts to provide adequate housing for migrants and to cease mistreating asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in border regions, especially along the Franco-British border and on Mayotte. 

The document also raised broader concerns about the erosion of civil rights in France, expressing alarm over the growing repression of peaceful assemblies.

The increasing frequency of arbitrary searches and arrests of protesters, as well as a rise in the number of protest bans, including those in support of the Palestinian people were also outlined in the document.

Earlier, French police shot and killed two men in New Caledonia, escalating tensions with pro-independence groups just days before a public holiday commemorating France's annexation of the Pacific archipelago.

The pro-independence FLNKS condemned the killings as "barbaric and humiliating actions" by French police, describing them as a "summary execution" and calling for an independent investigation into the incident.

With these latest deaths, the toll in New Caledonia has risen to 13 since protests erupted in May over changes to a voting law introduced by the French government. Indigenous Kanak people feared the changes would undermine their efforts for independence. 

By Naila Huseynova