8 July 2016 – United Nations officials today spoke out against
recent violence in the United States which has left several people dead,
expressing both outrage and condemnation over the killings, and
highlighting the need for more to be done to fight discrimination.
Earlier this week, two African-American men were shot dead by US police
in the states of Minnesota and Louisiana. On Thursday, five police
officers were killed in the Texan city of Dallas at a rally over the
earlier killings.
“The Working Group [of Experts on People of African Descent] is outraged
and strongly condemns the new police killings of two African-American
men,” the Group’s Chairman, Ricardo A. Sunga III, said
in a statement today, in which he also noted that the incidents
demonstrate “a high level of structural and institutional racism.”
“These killings, which were captured on video, cannot be ignored. We
call for prompt independent investigations to ensure the perpetrators
are prosecuted and punished,” he added.
Also today, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Mr. Ban condemned the killing of the police officers in Dallas.
“There is no justification for such violence. Those responsible
compounded the suffering that many in the United States feel following
the killing of two African-American men over two days. Those killings
must be the subject of a thorough and impartial investigation,” the
spokesman said, adding that the killings once again put the focus on the
need to address discrimination, including racial disparities in law
enforcement, in a comprehensive manner.
The UN chief extended his condolences to the families and colleagues of
the victims, as well as the Police Department of Dallas, according to
the spokesperson.
For its part, the Working Group stated that excessive use of force by
the police against African-Americans in the US is a “regular”
occurrence, with African-Americans reportedly shot at more than twice
the rate of white people.
The Working Group
is monitoring the situation and has repeatedly expressed its concern to
the US Government about police killings of African-Americans and called
for justice, and is convinced that the root of the problem lies in the
lack of accountability for perpetrators of such killings despite the
evidence.
“The killings also demonstrate a high level of structural and
institutional racism. The United States is far from recognizing the same
rights for all its citizens. Existing measures to address racist crimes
motivated by prejudice are insufficient and have failed to stop the
killings,” the human rights expert said. “It is time, now, for the US
Government to strongly assert that Black lives matter and prevent any
further killings as a matter of national priority.”
He also condemned yesterday's sniper attacks on police officers in
downtown Dallas during a protest over the killings of African-American
men in other cities, calling for the perpetrators to be held
accountable.
According to media reports, at least one sniper killed five officers and
wounded seven others at the rally on Thursday night. The sniper was
killed, and three other people are in custody.
Independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights
Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific
human rights theme. They serve in their personal capacity and are not UN
staff, nor are they paid for their work. UN
