United Nations, Jun 9: The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent has sent a joint allegation letter to the United States concerning the death of African American George Floyd in police custody, the group’s Secretary Christina Saunders told Sputnik.
Allegation letters are sent by the UN Special Rapporteur to request governments to clarify the substance of allegation of an investigation and to share information on its status.
“The United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent has taken action on the case of George Floyd under its communication procedure and sent a joint allegation letter to the United States Government,” Saunders said on Monday.
On May 25, Floyd died after a white police officer pressed his neck for at least eight minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and placed on his stomach. The four arresting officers have been fired in connection with the incident. One has been charged with second-degree and third-degree murder and manslaughter while the other three have been charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
Floyd’s family and his attorney, Benjamin Crump, on June 3, sent a letter to the United Nations Working Group urging the body to call on the US government to seek full justice in the case and charge all officers involved with first-degree murder.
They also asked the Working Group to recommend to the United States training for police forces on de-escalation techniques and an the establishing of a commission to investigate, prosecute and conduct independent autopsies in all police extrajudicial killings.
“The United States of America has a long pattern and practice of lethal police violence disproportionately applied to persons of African descent,” the letter said. “Many of these cases have resulted in the failure of state and local governments to hold accountable police officers who commit human rights violations.”
(AGENCIES)
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