UN experts urge action to remedy systemic racist police violence in Chicago

UN experts* called on Monday for more action to be taken to remedy racialized police violence and misconduct by law enforcement and the Chicago criminal justice system against people of African and Latino descent in the United States.

“Chicago has a long history of using torture by law enforcement officials to obtain confessions about serious crimes,” the experts stated**. “These egregious alleged human rights violations appear to be largely rooted in systemic racism and have disproportionately affected people of African and Latin American descent.”

Experts highlighted the devastating impact of these practices on individuals and communities. “Many people of African and Latin American descent, some of whom were children at the time, reportedly They were detained without reasonable cause and tortured into signing confessions to very serious crimes, including homicide.“, they stated.

“These confessions, as well as widespread systemic racism and police misconduct in Chicago’s criminal justice system, have reportedly led to many wrongful convictions and incarcerations of people, often for extremely long periods of time and without adequate access to medical careeven for older people and torture survivors,” the experts noted.

“Lives have been stolen, with a significant domino effect within communities,” they stated.

Slow repair and impunity

Chicago has taken steps to address reported human rights violations, including a public apology and the creation of the Commission of Investigation and Assistance against Tortureto recognize, remedy and prevent torture and police misconduct.

While welcoming these important initiatives, experts expressed concern that efforts to address abuses have been fragmented and implemented too slowly.

Furthermore, experts expressed concern that affected people remain imprisoned or unable to rebuild their lives due to the systemic barriers that prevent them from accessing procedures to prove their innocence and obtain redress and complete resources.

They also expressed concern that reports indicate that these alleged human rights violations have largely occurred with impunity. “Those involved in these human rights violations have not been held accountable.”, stated the experts.

“A just society must address the mistakes of the past and put in place all necessary measures to prevent their repetition,” the experts stated, urging relevant federal, state and local authorities to take immediate and comprehensive steps to address and remedy them. fully the situation in the city.

Additionally, they contacted the United States government to address these allegations and clarify their obligations under international law.

*The experts are Ashwini KP, special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance; Alice Jill Edwards, special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Barbara G. Reynolds (president), Bina D’Costa, Miriam Ekiudoko, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; International Mechanism of Independent Experts to Promote Justice and Racial Equality in Law Enforcement; Tlaleng Mofokeng, special rapporteur on the right to health; Claudia Mahler independent expert on the human rights of older persons.

**The special rapporteurs are part of what is known as Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name for the Council’s independent investigative and monitoring mechanisms that deal with specific country situations or thematic issues around the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and provide their services in an individual capacity.