Riot police fire rubber bullets during clashes with demonstrators during protests in Santiago, on 8 November 2019 (Photo by Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images) SHOOTING TO HARM In Lebanon, Amnesty International monitored the largely peaceful protests on 8 August 2020 where rubber bullets were fired recklessly into crowds. Protesters reported seeing security and military forces shooting rubber bullets directly into the crowd at chest level and from close range, indicating that they were shooting to harm. Protesters also reported suffering injuries from small rubber pellets fired from an unidentified source. Doctors reported at least six cases of eye injuries. The medical team at the Department of Ophthalmology at the American University of Beirut removed the eye of one young man completely, while others lost their sight to varying degrees.34 CLUBBED FROM BEHIND During the 2019 mass protests in Hong Kong, Amnesty International documented unlawful use of kinetic impact devices to beat protesters who posed no threat and who in some cases were already restrained or attempting to leave a demonstration. For instance, a young woman arrested at a protest in Sheung Wan in the Central & Western District of Hong Kong in July 2019 described being clubbed from behind with a police baton as she was running away from a police charge; she was knocked to the ground and police officers continued to beat her after her hands were zip-tied.35 34 Amnesty International, Lebanon: Military and security forces attack unarmed protesters following explosions – new testimony (Press Release, 11 August 2020), www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/08/lebanon-military-and-security-forces-attack-unarmedprotesters-following-explosions-new-testimony/ 35 Amnesty International, Hong Kong: Arbitrary arrests, brutal beatings and torture in police detention revealed, (Press Release, 19 September 2019), www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/09/hong-kong-arbitrary-arrests-brutal-beatings-and-torture-in-policedetention-revealed/ 18 ENDING THE TORTURE TRADE THE PATH TO GLOBAL CONTROLS ON THE ‘TOOLS OF TORTURE’ Amnesty International | Omega Research Foundation