MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th May, 2020) The Russian Foreign Ministry called out the United States on Friday over what it described as the latest in a long line of police transgressions that resulted in the death of a black citizen at the hands of a white officer.
Clashes between protesters and police broke out in the US city of Minneapolis this week after George Floyd died in custody. A video that went viral online showed him gasping for breath as officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. Chauvin was fired and arrested.
"The US obviously has a pileup of systemic problems related to human rights. They include racial, ethnic and religious discrimination, police brutality, judicial bias, prison overcrowding, abuse of firearms and 'means of self-defense' by individuals," the ministry said.
It further criticized the US for failing to uphold human rights on the international level by pulling out of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2018 and ignoring recommendations of rights advocacy groups.
"We call on the US authorities to take real and effective measures to address this situation, return to full compliance with international commitments, bring national laws in line with basic UN principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement. And, of course, thoroughly investigate George Floyd's killing," it added.
The death of 46-year-old Floyd in Minneapolis has reignited anger over racial profiling of black people that has led to mass protests across the country in recent years. Solidarity protests have been staged in other cities, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
