The administration of US President Joe Biden should enact reforms to put an end to police violence and address systemic racism, United Nations experts from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement on Friday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2021) The administration of US President Joe Biden should enact reforms to put an end to police violence and address systemic racism, United Nations experts from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement on Friday.
"In this time of political change, the United States must initiate far-reaching reforms to address police brutality and systemic racism," the statement said. "We hope that the new US administration will be able to pursue the necessary reforms."
The experts called on the US government to close all criminal investigations against peaceful protesters who took part in demonstrations in the wake of the killing of the African-American man George Floyd by a white police officer.
They also expressed concern about the legal frameworks in the United States allowing police to use lethal force whenever deemed "reasonable."
"The various laws and policies governing police use of force must be based on the principles of precaution, necessity and proportionality," the experts said.
Similarly, the experts called for a reform of laws guiding the use of non-lethal weapons as they can and have killed and severely wound individuals, leading to permanent disability.
The United States should to address the issue concerning the increased militarization of policing, noting that officers are more prone to violent behavior when they use military equipment.
The UN experts further recommended addressing non-serious offenses, such as minor traffic violations, through tools outside of the criminal justice system.
Simultaneously, the US authorities should reinvest funds from policing budgets toward social and economic resources vital for African American communities disproportionately targeted by policing.
"Communities most directly harmed by the existing institutions of policing must have meaningful opportunities to shape policing and related reforms," the experts said.
