The United States government must implement immediate reforms to eliminate structural discrimination by the police, said the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
“(The committee) urges the Government of the United States of America, state and local authorities to adopt immediate and appropriate reforms to eliminate racially disparate impacts or structural discrimination in the police and criminal justice system, taking into account the rights of victims of racially motivated crime,” the statement said.
On June 11, President Donald Trump said he is finalizing an executive order to encourage departments to implement “current standards” amid protests across the country sparked by the police murder of African-American George Floyd on May 25.
The UN panel expressed concern about the continued practice of racial discrimination and overuse by law enforcement officials against racial and ethnic minorities in the United States.
The committee is alarmed at the repeat killings of unarmed African-Americans by police officers and individuals over the years, according to the statement.
The UN body called on the United States to fully respect its international obligations, particularly those stemming from the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Meanwhile, the committee recommended that US authorities at all levels ensure wide dissemination of the Convention in training and education programs for law enforcement officials.
The Black Lives Matter protests were echoed across the country shortly after a video circulated May 25 showing police in Minneapolis violently detaining an African-American man, George Floyd, who later died.
Protesters took to the streets in all 50 US states and in several countries around the world demanding police reform and an end to institutionalized racism.
