NAIROBI (Kaab TV) – Amnesty International has called on Malagasy authorities to urgently investigate the use of deadly force against protesters from the Gen Z movement, after reports of at least 22 people killed and more than 100 others injured, including children, in recent demonstrations.
The protests, which began on 25 September 2025, have seen hundreds of young people—mainly university and high school students—take to the streets of Antananarivo and other major cities to demand solutions to chronic water and power shortages, which they say reflect deeper corruption and poor governance.
Civil society groups have also joined the demonstrations.
“Every death on the streets of Madagascar is a painful reminder that the right to peaceful protest is under violent attack,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. “The authorities must promptly launch thorough and effective investigations into these killings and hold perpetrators to account. All those arrested solely for exercising their right to protest must be immediately and unconditionally released.”
Amnesty condemned the “unlawful and excessive force” used by state security forces and urged restraint in policing protests.
The organization criticized the government’s reliance on a 75-year-old law that grants sweeping powers to crack down on demonstrations, saying it violates Madagascar’s human rights obligations under international law.
“Protest is not a crime – it is a right. Instead of silencing the protesters, the authorities must listen to and address their demands,” Chagutah added.
Amnesty International is calling on the government to repeal the outdated law and replace it with legislation aligned with international standards, including the African Union’s Guidelines for the Policing of Assemblies by Law Enforcement Officials in Africa.