On Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned the discriminatory and violent police after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and ordered a report on “systemic racism” against people of African descent.
The forum of 47 member states unanimously adopted a resolution presented by African countries. The mandate also calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to examine the government’s responses to peaceful protests, including the alleged use of excessive force, and to present his findings within a year.
Philonise Floyd, the brother of the black man whose death under the knee of a white officer caused worldwide protests against racial injustice, called Wednesday the forum to investigate the brutality and the racial discrimination of the American police force .
The ambassador of Burkina Faso, Desire Sougouri, presented the African resolution on Friday, calling for its adoption by consensus.
“It is important to show Africa … that the Human Rights Council has heard the plight of Africans and people of African descent calling for equal treatment and the application of equal rights for all, “he said.
The Africa group has made many “concessions” in negotiations with other countries, he added.
Senegalese envoy Coly Seck, former chairman of the council, welcomed the consensus, declaring at the talks: “Black Lives Matter”.
The text was watered down in closed door negotiations from an initial draft explicitly calling for a United Nations commission of inquiry into racism in the United States and elsewhere.
“It is absurd that the final resolution adopted by the United Nations removes the mention of the United States, where the police are killing people, especially blacks, at alarming rates compared to other developed countries,” said Jamil. Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has led 600 militant groups to call for urgent debate.
“The UN must do its job – not be intimidated by doing it – and hold the United States accountable,” he said in a statement.
The Trump administration, which left the forum two years ago alleging prejudice against its ally Israel, made no immediate comments. US Ambassador to Geneva, Andrew Bremberg, said on Wednesday that his country was “not out of control” because he was struggling with racial discrimination but was implementing police reforms after the murder from Floyd.
During the debate, Western delegations, including Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland and the European Union, said that the United States should not be isolated.
“This problem does not belong to any country, it is a problem worldwide,” said Australian Ambassador Sally Mansfield.
Activists said that Australia had been particularly active in the negotiations to divert attention from the United States.
German Ambassador Michael Ungern-Sternberg said: “We are convinced that a report with a broader approach and less focus on a specific case would have been more appropriate”.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
