After sending a delegation of human rights observers to monitor protest conditions, Amnesty International USA today called on state and local authorities to take specific steps to protect Indigenous communities’ right to peacefully protest at the site of a disputed pipeline in North Dakota.

In a letter to the governor of North Dakota, the North Dakota Highway Patrol and the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, Amnesty International USA asked that a roadblock to the protest site be removed, urged authorities to meet regularly with protesters and community leaders, and reminded officials of their duty to facilitate peaceful protest... “Police have a duty to protect the right to peacefully protest, not to inhibit it,” said Tarah Demant, senior director at Amnesty International USA.