Human rights guidelines are usually seen as the ideal way for a government to approach a situation, the humane path, the right thing to do... All true.
But they’re also the practical thing to do. Based on decades, even centuries, of human experience, they offer the best methods for addressing a problem, because they describe how to not make a problem worse than it already is.
Take the situation in Pakistan right now. The arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on corruption charges Wednesday has outraged his supporters. Many have taken to the streets in protest.
Where such demonstrations are peaceful, the police should be respecting them and safeguarding people’s right to protest. That’s not only the decent thing to do, it’s also practical. Interfering with people’s fundamental rights will only anger them and further escalate a fraught situation.
But what about when some protesters are not peaceful? What are authorities supposed to do then?
Some of Khan’s supporters in Pakistan have used rocks, Molotov cocktails, and in a few cases, assault rifles, to attack police. Some have set fire to ambulances, police vehicles, and schools.
Police can’t simply stand by and let these things happen, of course. They need to protect people, and authorities need to ensure crimes are investigated and prosecuted.
But the last thing anyone should want in a situation like this is for police to go in guns blazing, sparking cycles of violence and counterviolence, and spinning things out of control.
That’s why – deep breath – the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials says security forces must always use the minimum force necessary.
In dispersing violent gatherings, firearms may only be used when other less harmful means are not practicable, and even then must be used to the minimum extent necessary. Law enforcement officers may only intentionally resort to lethal force when strictly unavoidable to protect life.
Again, what’s principled is what’s practical. This is the best way to try to prevent a bad situation getting worse.
Unfortunately, Pakistan’s authorities seem to be forgetting all this.
Police have fired on protesters and used excessive force against them – tear gas, rubber bullets, baton charges… At least one man died in Quetta after police opened fire on protesters.
It’s unlikely Pakistan’s authorities will de-escalate the situation with an unprincipled, impractical approach like that.