E. Tendayi Achiume, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, told a special UN meeting that this unjust and discriminatory killing is only one of countless others.

 

"In the United States, there can be no question that the problem is not one of isolated incidents of police misconduct, but rather it is one of systemic racism in law enforcement," she said.

 

The UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday began an urgent debate on current racially inspired human rights violations and the related issues following a request made by Burkina Faso on behalf of the African Group, at which Achiume is one of the opening speakers.

 

Calling Wednesday's event a "historic debate", the UN expert told the audience that she delivered her speech also on behalf of a group of other UN experts, including the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.

 

"The predominant analysis in the United States is that the problem is not limited to specific enforcement practices or individual officers, but extends to the very framework of law and policy that governs law enforcement, including transparency and accountability for human rights violations by law enforcement officials," she said.

 

"The response of the U.S. government to the national uprising against systemic racism in law enforcement has reenacted the very injustices that have driven people into the streets in the first place," she added.

 

According to the UN expert, for people of African descent in the United States, the domestic legal system has utterly failed to acknowledge and confront racial injustice and discrimination.

 

"This urgent debate must mark a shift, even within the United Nations, in the fight against racial injustice to ensure that racial inequality receives the attention, political will, and resources required to achieve real and meaningful protection and promotion of human rights for people of African descent, and others," she stressed.