Report from the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights
“The release of this United Nations report is historic, and I’m hopeful that it will become a beacon of light for other countries to unite and stand against the egregious extrajudicial killings at the hands of U.S. law enforcement,” said Collette Flanagan, who founded Mothers Against Police Brutality (MAPB) in 2013 after Dallas Police killed her unarmed son Clinton Allen, a 25-year-old black father of twin sons. “We must hold America accountable for its shameful history of police brutality.”
Ms. Flanagan and MAPB worked with the ACLU Human Rights Program, the US Human Rights Network, and others in a global coalition calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to follow the Commissioner’s report with an effective accountability mechanism to provide an ongoing investigation of systemic racism in policing in the United States and globally, especially among formal colonial powers and countries involved in the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans.
“This historic report provides a blueprint for you the new for the United States and other countries to begin reckoning with the long history of systemic racism that permeates policing and other state violence and structural racism against Black people,” said Jamil Dakkwar, Director of the ACLU Human Rights Program.
The U.N. Human Rights Council last summer provided an important opportunity to enable those affected directly by human rights violations to speak to the Council through NGO video statements. After Collette’s statements, the Council reported, “Collette Flanagan, founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality, also delivered a powerful video statement at the Council explaining the reality of racist policing in the United States of America. We fully support victims’ families appeals to the council for accountability.”
In May of this year, Ms. Flanagan organized 171 families that have lost a loved one to fatal police violence to sign a letter to Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights along with ACLU, MAPB, and 270 NGOs from around the world, calling for an independent commission under the auspices of the U.N. Human Rights Council, to investigate police killings of Black people in the United States and the violent conduct of law enforcement towards protests against police brutality.
The report states that the worldwide mobilization of people calling for racial justice has forced a long-delayed reckoning with racism and shifted debates towards a focus on the systemic nature of racism and the institutions that perpetrate it. “The status quo is untenable,” High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said in releasing the report.”I am calling on all States to stop denying and start dismantling racism; to end impunity and build trust; to listen to the voices of people of African descent; and to confront past legacies and deliver redress.”
Report Summary
The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 and the resulting global protests have marked a significant turning point in the fight against racism. In response, the Human Rights Council held an urgent debate and passed resolution 43/1. This resolution called upon the High Commissioner to create a comprehensive report on systemic racism and violations of international human rights law committed by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent. The report aims to contribute to accountability and justice for victims, including examining government responses to peaceful protests against racism and alleged use of excessive force against protesters, bystanders, and journalists. The High Commissioner has submitted this report (A/HRC/47/53) to the Human Rights Council, and will also present a conference room paper expanding on the analysis provided. The report includes an agenda for transformative change towards racial justice and equality, with objectives such as dismantling systemic racism, ending impunity for human rights violations, and addressing trust deficits in this area. The High Commissioner urges states to turn this agenda into action plans, developed through national dialogues and with meaningful participation from people of African descent. The Office of the High Commissioner is committed to working with states and the Human Rights Council to implement this agenda, including strengthening assistance, documenting incidents, consulting with victims and survivors, and providing guidance for racial justice processes. Additionally, the High Commissioner recommends that the Human Rights Council continue its involvement in these issues and establish a specific time-bound mechanism or strengthen an existing one to advance racial justice and equality in law enforcement around the world, including examining relevant patterns, incidents, policies, and processes highlighted in the report and conference room paper.
