Baltimore riots: Amnesty International sending team to observe how police deal with protesters in aftermath of Freddie Gray's death

Group has said police must uphold's people's right to protest peacefully

Peaceful protesters in Baltimore (AP)

Amnesty International has said it is sending human rights observers to Baltimore to observe police and protesters in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray and the riots that erupted earlier this week.

As hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered in Baltimore on Wednesday, it was announced that the delegation from Amnesty International USA will be monitoring compliance with human rights standards for the policing of protests.

“We are calling on the police in Baltimore to exercise restraint, and to ensure that peaceful protesters can assemble and the media can do its job without undue interference,” Amnesty International USA’s executive director, Steven Hawkins, said in a statement.

Steven Hawkins said police must protect people's right to protest peacefully (Amnesty International)

“Confronting protesters in a manner more appropriate for a battlefield may put law enforcement in the mindset that confrontation and conflict is inevitable rather than possible."

Mr Stevens said the delegation would seek to ensure that police protest the rights of people to protest peacefully and that only the minimal amount of force was used if the protests result in violence.

“Excessive force, such as tear gas, should not be used to curtail the rights of a non-violent majority in order to quell the acts of a few,” he said.

Amnesty International USA sent a letter to the Baltimore Police Department to express concern over the death of Freddie Gray and the use of tear gas at protests demanding accountability for his death.