UN Committee Condemns U.S. Police Brutality After Hearing from Brown Parents

The United Nations Committee Against Torture released a report today condemning torture tactics and police brutality in the United States, just weeks after hearing directly from the parents of Michael Brown. And while the report does not directly address events in Ferguson, it does hit on issues raised by Ferguson like police treatment of minorities.

The U.N. committee expresses concerns about extraordinary rendition (Guantanamo Bay in particular), the lack of military accountability for such abuses, and interrogation methods like sleep deprivation––all directed at the United States.

Domestically speaking, the U.N. addresses sexual violence and rape in the United States, deaths of inmates while in custody, and, of course, police brutality. Here’s what they have to say:

The Committee is concerned about numerous reports of police brutality and excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, in particular against persons belonging to certain racial and ethnic groups, immigrants, and LGBTI individuals, racial profiling by police and immigration offices and growing militarization of policing activities… It also expresses deep concern at the frequent and recurrent police shootings or fatal pursuits of unarmed black individuals.

They recommend that all instances of police brutality be investigated “promptly, effectively, and impartially.”

One of the committee members said in a separate statement that what happened in Ferguson was a “tragedy,” but they need to respect the grand jury decision.

You can read the full report here, via The L.A. Times.

[image via @ChristinaKSDK]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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