Human Rights Violations At The Paris 2024 Olympics Must Teach Us A Lesson: UN Experts

GENEVA (4 March 2025) – A group of independent human rights experts* today called on all countries to draw lessons from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on how to secure major sporting events while respecting human rights.

“French authorities took a number of reasonable measures to ensure that the Olympic Games were free from terrorist violence,” the experts said. “Yet, some security measures appeared to be unnecessary or disproportionate, while others were discriminatory or even unlawful.”

The experts noted that French authorities carried out 1.2 million “administrative investigations,” which resulted in excluding 4,000 people from restricted areas in Paris. Individual administrative control and surveillance measures (“MICAS”) were reportedly imposed on 559 people, as well as 848 “home visits” to search premises.

A large number of “protection perimeters” reportedly restricted access to public places and unprecedented surveillance was deployed, including the use of drones and “algorithmic” video tools with artificial intelligence. There was also a significant increase in orders to expel people from France, and 20 people were stripped of their French nationality.

“Under international law, governments must act diligently to prevent threats to life posed by terrorism, but must always comply with human rights law,” the experts said, noting that France has faced significant terrorist threats in recent years.

“In too many cases, security measures were seemingly applied in an indiscriminate or overbroad manner, that was not necessary or proportionate to meet any specific, evidence-based risks posed by particular individuals,” the experts said.

They found that in some cases, such as MICAS, legal powers were too vague and too broad, allowing arbitrary interference with human rights. In other cases, measures even violated French law, as evidenced by the higher than usual number of annulments by the courts. They also pointed to measures that lacked adequate due process or judicial safeguards.

“We also found patterns of discriminatory policing, targeting individuals or groups for political views, religious affiliation or ethnic background,” the experts said, adding that children were heavily affected by some policies.

In some cases, measures appeared to be aimed at preventing disruptive public protests rather than terrorism, the experts said. Some of the measures arbitrarily

interfered with the freedoms of expression, assembly and association, as well as the rights to privacy, reputation and liberty, and to participate in cultural life. They had a strong stigmatising effect and disrupted family life, work and education.

“The authorities’ strategy of ‘optimised disruption’ of individuals deemed radical or suspect reflects a political determination to reassure the public that all possible precautionary security measures are being taken,” the experts said.

They stressed that the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council have repeatedly stated that all counter-terrorism measures must respect international human rights law, including the use of new surveillance technologies.

“Excessive measures are not necessary for security – and can counterproductively fuel grievance narratives that lead to radicalisation,” the experts said.

“We urge France to conduct an independent and impartial review of the security measures used during the Olympic Games, identify and remedy any misuse of security powers, and draw lessons for France and other countries on how to secure future major public events,” they said.

The experts called on international sporting bodies, such as the International Olympics Committee and FIFA, to assess the human rights risks of their events and collaborate with host nations to mitigate them, particularly ahead of several major events next year including the Winter Olympics in Italy and the FIFA World Cup in three North American countries.

*The experts: Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association; Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights.

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