The Special Procedures strongly urged the Council to establish a commission of inquiry to “investigate systemic racism in law enforcement in the United States” and a “thematic commission of inquiry or other mechanism empowered to investigate systemic racism in law enforcement globally, especially where it is related to legacies of colonialism and transatlantic slavery.” The families of victims of police violence and many of our organizations have called on the Council to mandate an independent inquiry into the killings and violent law enforcement responses to protests, including the attacks against protesters and journalists in the United States. While we appreciate that the call for inputs reflected many of our recommendations, we note that it did not include a specific question on the Council’s role in this regard. In light of your update to the Council that the report will “recommend an agenda for transformative change to dismantle systemic racism and police brutality against Africans and people of African descent, and to advance accountability and redress for victims”, we wish to make the following recommendations and suggestions regarding the Council’s role to ensure effective accountability and follow-up. We share your assessment that the Council “can contribute to making this moment a critical turning point in the respect and protection of the human rights of people of African descent.” Police ViolenceĪs you rightly stated in your update to the Council, we cannot let the urgency felt in the Council in June 2020 subside. We appreciate the broad outreach to civil society and the organization of several regional and national-level consultations over the past months and your recognition of the indispensable role of civil society in the process of preparing the report.Ĭoalition Letter to UNHRC High Commissioner Calling for United Nations Inquiry into U.S. We also welcome that the report will examine the root causes that have enabled systemic racism and police violence, including the legacies of enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, and its context of colonialism. We appreciate your response to our calls, in particular your affirmation to the Council that the report will reflect and amplify the voices of victims who are people of African descent, their families and communities. The families of victims of police violence and undersigned civil society organizations write with regard to the implementation of Human Rights Council resolution ( A/HRC/43/1) on the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against systemic racism, excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers. Re: The UN Human Rights Council’s role to ensure effective accountability and follow-up to HRC Resolution 43/1
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