THE use of police tasers has come under serious scrutiny after a 36-year-old man died in Torremolinos.
Human rights campaigners have now criticised what they describe as a ‘disproportionate’ use of force, following the release of new details surrounding the death of Haitam Mejri.
Mejri died on December 7 during an intervention by the Policia Nacional.
According to the Malaga branch of the Andalusian Association for Human Rights (APDHA), a report has revealed that there were up to 86 injuries on his body.
The same report also confirms that officers discharged tasers a total of 11 times in just a matter of minutes.
The group said it was left with its ‘deepest outrage’ after learning new details about the man’s death, warning that the case is of ‘extreme gravity’ and cannot be allowed to ‘go unpunished or be forgotten.’
Campaigners are now calling for the case to be reopened immediately.
They are also urging authorities to speed up the final autopsy report in order to restart legal proceedings as soon as possible.
The group is also demanding a full investigation into the officers involved to establish whether any criminal responsibility exists.
The association claims the repeated use of so-called ‘non-lethal’ weapons on a man who may already have been subdued raises serious concerns.
They have also stressed the need for transparency in the case.
The public, they say, has a right to know whether protocols were followed during the operation.
They argue the case highlights the potentially lethal consequences of taser use, despite them often being described as non-lethal.
The group has also questioned whether key information may have been withheld from medical teams at the scene.
Meanwhile, the APDHA is calling for an urgent review of the use of tasers, including a temporary moratorium and tighter regulation under the supervision of human rights organisations.
‘Haitam Mejri entered a building seeking help and left lifeless,’ the association said, adding that it will ‘continue to push for justice until the full truth is established.’
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