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About us

Who we are!

We are a group of experts responsible
for issues related to police and human rights
at Amnesty International.
Find out more about us!

Take part!

To ensure the strength of our group
we are always looking for dedicated individuals
who want to make a difference and get involved!
Here you can support us!

We need you!

Write a letter, contribute, or simply donate something!
Raise your voice loud against abuse of power and inequality.
Here you can do something!

Has something happened? Tell us!

To continue to pursue our objectives, we focus on the following tasks:

  • Monitoring and Documenting Police Assaults.
  • Mobilizing the Public against Police Abuses: When cases of human rights violations by the police occur we rally the public and urge authorities to take immediate action to halt these violations.
  • Pushing for Independent Monitoring Institutions: We strive to promote the establishment of independent monitoring bodies dedicated to overseeing police operations.
  • Promoting Human Rights Education for Police Training: We advocate for the integration of consistent and ongoing human rights education in the training programs for police officers.

Our voluntary group greatly depends on the involvement of supporters and members.

Unfortunately……

Amnesty International will stop researching individual cases on the subject of police violence in Germany and will only continue monitoring. We can therefore no longer offer you personal advice and unfortunately have to refer you to other institutions!

Nevertheless, we would be very pleased if you continue to report your cases of suspected police violence in Germany and we can add them to our case database. Because monitoring this question is essential for our political work on the subject of police violence in Germany.

We depend on your case reports.

Tell us your story!


Racial Profiling

What is racial profiling?

Amnesty International defines racial profiling as the targeting of individuals and groups by law enforcement officials, even partially, on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion, except where there is trustworthy information, relevant to the locality and timeframe, that links persons belonging to one of the aforementioned groups to an identified criminal incident or scheme.

A breach of international law

Racial/ethnic profiling is a violation of international conventions such as the Anti-Racism Convention (ICERD) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). These conventions explicitly prohibit the differential treatment of individuals based on race and require states to actively combat all forms of racism.

Furthermore, racial/ethnic profiling goes against the principle of non-discrimination, which guarantees the right to be free from discrimination based on race, origin, or religion. This right is protected by Article 2 and 26 of the UN ICCPR, Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and Article 3, paragraph 3 of the Basic Law. The exercise of police powers without concrete suspicion and based solely on these attributes is always in violation of human rights.

A discriminatory practice

Police statistics reveal that the practice of racial/ethnic profiling yields minimal search results. Moreover, racial discrimination through profiling undermines the fundamental principle of human rights, which is the equal dignity of all individuals. It perpetuates existing social and individual stereotypes and prejudices. For those who are targeted, being subjected to such controls in public is a degrading experience, and unfortunately, many individuals encounter it on a regular basis.

 

READ MORE ABOUT RACIAL/ETHNIC PROFILING HERE