Australia should support, not hinder, scrutiny of racism and police violence at the UN, in the US and at home
The Australian Government should support an urgent resolution in the UN Human Rights Council for an independent investigation into systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protest in the US, say Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and human rights organisations.
The draft resolution was put forward by African states and is supported by over 600 civil society organisations around the world. The call is supported by the families of victims of police violence, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile and Michael Brown, amid mass Black Lives Matter police accountability protests across the United States, and the world, including in Australia.
There are reports that Australia, a member of the Human Rights Council, has been working with the US to water-down the resolution to remove any reference to the US or the establishment of a UN commission of inquiry. Australian officials are reported to have lobbied African countries to tone down their language in the resolution.
The Human Rights Law Centre, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Change the Record are urging the Australian Government to act in a principled way, both on the world stage and at home.
Nerita Waight, Co-Chair of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services:
“The Australian Government has a reputation for devaluing Black lives. The Royal Commission was meant to put an end to Black deaths in custody but the Commission’s findings are still gathering dust, and over 437 of us have died in police or prison cells since.
“This is an opportunity for the Australian Government to demonstrate that it is finally willing to act with integrity on racial injustice, including confronting Australia’s own dark history. It should support the independent UN inquiry into racism and policing in the US, while also acting to stop Aboriginal deaths in custody at home.”
Cheryl Axleby, Co-Chair of Change the Record:
“What’s happening in the US highlights the harm and deaths caused by generations of discrimination and racist policing, which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are all too familiar with in Australia. There have been 437 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the Royal Commission almost 30 years ago, and to date no one has been held criminally responsible for those lives lost.
“Human rights leadership is desperately needed, both globally and at home. The Australian Government should support an independent inquiry into the widespread problem of racism in law enforcement in the US, as well as ending discriminatory laws and practices in Australia that see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people targeted and locked up at disproportionate rates.”
Adrianne Walters, a Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre:
“Both on the global stage and in its own backyard, the Australian Government must prioritise ending systemic racism in criminal justice systems.
“The Black Lives Matter movement has shone a spotlight on the pervasiveness of systemic racism and its devastating consequences in the US. Here in Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have fearlessly fought for an end to police violence, discriminatory laws and the structural racism that kills.”
“Just as the Morrison Government can act to stop Aboriginal deaths in custody here, it can and should take a principled position and support an independent UN inquiry into systemic racism and police violence in the US.”
Media contact:
Michelle Bennett, Communications Director, Human Rights Law Centre, 0419 100 519
