Amnesty International asks police to stop checking IDs at protests

Amnesty International is asking Dutch police to stop “illegal ID-controls” during demonstrations. The human rights organization is doing so in a so-called letter of formal notice, which will be sent on Friday. If the police do not respond to the notice within six weeks, Amnesty International will seek legal advice.

“Unless someone is suspected of a crime, there is no reason to check an Identification. And yet, the police are asking peaceful protestors for their ID,” Amnesty said. “This is not only an infringement on their privacy, but it also works as a deterrent and can prevent people from protesting.” Amnesty has long been concerned about surveillance at protests.

According to the human rights organization, “dozens of demonstrators” have issued complaints around ID controls during the last few years, with many complaints being leveled at the police in The Hague. The Hague police have reportedly acknowledged multiple times that ID checks at demonstrations are unlawful and have also issued apologies. “But despite promises to improve, the practice continues.”

In the letter, Amnesty not only asked the police to stop the controls, but also added that internal guidelines and policy frameworks must state that checks at protests may only take place “if there is suspicion of a serious criminal offense.”

In response, the police stated that they cannot provide a substantive reaction to the letter they received on Friday. However, in a general statement, the organization emphasized that the right to demonstrate is “a fundamental right in our democratic constitutional state. It is our duty to facilitate and protect that right within the framework of the law.”

The police said that they do everything possible to ensure demonstrations proceed safely and orderly, for demonstrators, bystanders, and officers alike. “We take reports about how this works in practice seriously and discuss them carefully. This also applies to Amnesty’s letter.”