Story at a glance
- The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was not enough to condemn racism and police brutality but that “it was also necessary to make amends for centuries of violence and discrimination, including through formal apologies, truth-telling processes, and reparations in various forms.”
- Her comments came during a Human Rights Council meeting on racism and police brutality.
- The brother of George Floyd made a heartfelt plea on Wednesday to the U.N.’s top human rights body in a video message, calling for a probe into racism and police brutality in the U.S.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday urged countries to address systemic racism and discrimination through reparations during an urgent council debate prompted in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
During a Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Bachelet said it was not enough to condemn racism and police brutality but that “it was also necessary to make amends for centuries of violence and discrimination, including through formal apologies, truth-telling processes, and reparations in various forms.”
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“Behind today’s racial violence, systemic racism and discriminatory policing lies the failure to acknowledge and confront the legacy of the slave trade and colonialism,” Bachelet said during the Human Rights Council meeting.
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The brother of George Floyd made a heartfelt plea on Wednesday to the U.N.’s top human rights body in a video message, calling for a probe into racism and police brutality in the U.S.
“I hope that you will consider establishing an independent commission of inquiry to investigate police killings of black people in America, and the violence used against peaceful protesters,” Philonise Floyd told the U.N.’s Human Rights Council Wednesday. “You in the United Nations are your brothers’ and sisters’ keepers in America, and you have the power to help us get justice for my brother George Floyd.”
George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police during an arrest on Memorial Day, after a white officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. The incident, which was caught on camera by a bystander, has sparked widespread outrage and large-scale protests against police brutality and racial injustice across the world.
The meeting was convened at the request of dozens of African countries that have requested the Human Rights Council examine and report on systemic racism and police brutality against “Africans and of people of African descent” in the U.S. The debate is expected to continue Thursday where a vote on the resolution to do so could take place.
President Trump two years ago removed the U.S. as a member of the Human Rights body, but the U.S. ambassador in Geneva, Andrew Bremberg, said in a statement prior to the meeting that the U.S. is committed to addressing its shortcomings, “including racial discrimination, and injustices that stem from such discrimination, that persist in our society.”
Bachelet has not said whether or not she supports the situation, but did stress the need for decisive action and reform.
“Black lives matter. Indigenous lives matter. The lives of people of color matter. All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights,” Bachelet said.
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