- Title: U.S. police killings reminiscent of lynching, U.N. group says
- Date: 27th September 2016
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS BUILDING CHAIRMAN OF THE U.N. WORKING GROUP OF EXPERTS ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT, RICARDO A. SUNGA III, DURING NEWS BRIEFING JOURNALIST LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRMAN OF THE U.N. WORKING GROUP OF EXPERTS ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT, RICARDO A. SUNGA III, SAYING: "Contemporary police killings, and the trauma they create, are reminiscent of the past racial terror of lynching. Impunity for state violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis, and must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Racial bias and disparities in the criminal justice system, mass incarceration and the tough-on-crime policies disproportionately impact African Americans." U.N. STAFF SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRMAN OF THE U.N. WORKING GROUP OF EXPERTS ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT RICARDO A. SUNGA III SAYING: "The working group is convinced that the root of the problem lies in the serious lack of accountability for perpetrators of such killings despite the evidence. Specifically we are deeply concerned about the low number of cases where public officers have been held accountable. The working group in its findings identified the lack of initial investigations, conducted by independent and external bodies, the wide discretion of attorney generals to determine when and how to present charges, and the state and county laws that are not in line with international standards, on the use of force and firearms - are some of the main barriers to police accountability." UNITED NATIONS BUILDING
- Embargoed: 12th October 2016 10:45
- Keywords: police US shooting United Nations
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, USA
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, USA
- Country: USA
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA00151CEB7R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
Police killings of black people in the United States are reminiscent of lynchings and the government must do far more to protect them, a United Nations working group said on Tuesday (September 27).
The hard-hitting criticism - drawing a comparison between modern police behaviour and mob killings of blacks in the 19th and 20th centuries - comes at a time of renewed racial tension in the United States.
Last week, Charlotte, North Carolina, saw street riots over the shooting of a black man, Keith Scott, by a black police officer. On Friday (September 23), a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man turned herself into authorities in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"Contemporary police killings, and the trauma they create, are reminiscent of the past racial terror of lynching. Impunity for state violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis, and must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Racial bias and disparities in the criminal justice system, mass incarceration and the tough-on-crime policies disproportionately impact African Americans," said Filipino law professor Ricardo Sunga III, chairman of the U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent which has released a report based on a visit to the United States in January by a five-member group.
Most lynching victims died by hanging. A 2015 report by a non-profit organisation, the Equal Justice Initiative, said 3,959 black people were killed in "racial terror lynchings" in a dozen southern states between 1877 and 1950.
Although the United States has made efforts at reform, the group said it remained "extremely concerned" about the human rights situation of African-Americans.
"The root of the problem lies in the serious lack of accountability for perpetrators of such killings despite the evidence. Specifically we are deeply concerned about the low number of cases where public officers have been held accountable," Sunga said.
Police killings go unpunished because initial investigations are usually conducted by the police department where the alleged perpetrator works, because prosecutors have wide discretion over presenting charges, and because the use of force is not subject to international standards, the experts' group said.
They recommended the United States create a reliable national system to track killings and excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, and end racial profiling, which is "a rampant practice and seriously damages the trust between African Americans and law enforcement officials".
To improve race relations, education should be "accompanied by acts of reconciliation" to overcome bigotry and past injustices, while federal and state laws should recognise the negative impact of enslavement and racial injustice, the report added. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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