”I am shocked and saddened by the dead and injured in the protests against the disruptions in water and electricity supply”, says the UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk, in a statement, where he urges ”the authorities to ensure respect for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly".
The protests have been going on for several days and have resulted in clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators.
Some were killed by police and security forces while others lost their lives in violence from criminal gangs and looters, which have arisen in the wake of the unrest, according to the UN, which emphasizes that the perpetrators do not belong to the demonstrators.
The island nation in the Indian Ocean, which is among the poorest in the world, has regularly experienced extensive popular protests since independence in 1960.
