The Regional Campaign to Decriminalise Petty Offences has long argued for a change in police arrest practices and increased accountability of law enforcement agencies. Deprose Muchena, the Director of Amnesty International’s Southern Africa office, writes that the brutal killing of George Floyd has resonated in Africa, highlighting the long-standing problem of excessive use of force by security forces, the normalisation of police brutality, and the lack of accountability for the brutality directed at vulnerable people. The abrupt introduction of overreaching regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased abuse of police powers and an urgent need to improve police oversight mechanisms.
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