Appendix 2 Internationally accepted rules in relation to the use of force and firearms United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials (adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979) These powers apply to the exercise of police powers and when police powers are exercised by military personnel or state security forces they also apply to them. Article 3 Law enforcement officials may use force only when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the performance of their duty. Article 5 No law enforcement official may inflict … or tolerate any act of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, nor may any law enforcement official invoke superior orders or exceptional circumstances such as … a threat to national security, internal political instability or any other public emergency as a justification of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (adopted by the United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in 1990) These principles apply even where there is internal political instability or a public emergency. Law enforcement officials should only employ force and firearms if other means are ineffective. When the use of force and firearms is unavoidable, law enforcement officials must exercise restraint and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offence. They must also minimise injury and respect and preserve human life. The Government must ensure that law enforcement officials are punished under the criminal law for arbitrary and abusive use of force and firearms. Only where it is not practicable to disperse non-violent but unlawful assemblies by methods other than the use of force, may law enforcement officials use force but they must only use the minimum amount of force necessary. The law enforcement officials may only use firearms to disperse violent assemblies where less dangerous means are not practicable. When they use firearms, they must use them only to the minimum extent necessary. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Zimbabwe is a party to this Covenant. Article 7 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. … Article 9 Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No person shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. … Article 10 All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.