25/11/2020 (Agence Europe) – “Images of the police operation carried out (Monday) evening at the Place de la République in Paris are shocking”, said the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe on Twitter late on Tuesday 24 November. Dunja Mijatović warned that she will “closely monitor” the follow-up to the investigations by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) that is being undertaken by the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin. In February 2019, in the middle of the ‘Yellow Vest’ crisis, the Commissioner sent a memorandum to the French authorities, inviting them to “refrain from introducing excessive restrictions on the freedom of peaceful assembly”, and to suspend the “use of rubber bullet launchers”. “The main task of law enforcement officers is to protect citizens and their human rights”, she said at the time. (VL)