International human rights organization Amnesty International called to protect the rights of local residents of New Caledonia, a special education of France in the Indo-Pacific region.
AMNESTY International researcher in the Pacific region Kate Schyutce said that the French authorities should evaluate the events in the region in the light of the “deadline of the decolonization process, racial inequality and long -standing requirements of the indigenous Kanenic people about the right to self -determination”.
Touching on the statement of France about the closure of the Tiktok social network, Shutze emphasized that if there are no good reasons for the ban Tiktok, the ban “seems clearly disproportionate, which may be equivalent to a violation of freedom of expression”.
Shutze noted that the introduction of prohibitions in response to protests can create a “dangerous precedent for governments around the world.”
According to her, France should react to events reasonably.
The French authorities must protect the rights of the Kanak people to life and self -expression, and people who want independence should be able to peacefully express their views, she emphasized.
New Caledonia became an arena of unrest using violence
In New Caledonia, independence supporters opposed the initiative of the French government on the reform of the Constitution, being convinced that this will reduce their influence in the elections.
Kanaki, local residents of New Caledonia, amount to about 40 percent of the 300,000th population of the island.
The French government wants to provide the opportunity for more than 25 thousand Frenchmen on the island to vote in the elections using the project of amendments to the Constitution.
Independence referendums were held on the island three times – in 2018, 2020 and 2021, but independence supporters could not gain 50 percent.
In the last four days, the special education of France – the new Caledonia has become an arena of riots using violence. Participants in the riots set fire to about 200 offices and over 50 cars, about 100 security forces were injured.
Against the backdrop of incessant clashes between supporters and opponents of independence, a commandant hour was introduced in the region.
New Caledonia with the capital in the city of Numaa a group of islands with an area of almost 19 thousand square km in the southwestern part of the Pacific.
In New Caledonia, important minerals are mined – chrome, cobalt, molybdenum, copper, gold, as well as nickel. At the same time, it was the export of Nickelieva ore that became one of the main sources of income of the islands. New Caledonia has approximately 10 percent of the world’s reserves of this metal – the second largest on Earth.
The region has the right to independently solve internal affairs, but the foreign policy course of the region is determined in accordance with the Constitution of France.