A U.N. committee on Friday called on France to ensure a “thorough and impartial” investigation into the killing of Nahel, a teenager shot dead by police near Paris, and called for a ban on racial profiling.
release:
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), made up of 18 independent experts, expressed concerns about racial profiling and excessive use of force by law enforcement.”
The experts also condemned “reports of looting and destruction of private and public property, as well as mass arrests and detentions of protesters”.
The U.N. committee welcomed an investigation into the circumstances that led to Naher’s killing, which sparked an outbreak of violence in France.
“France (should) immediately ensure a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of Nahel M. … prosecute the alleged perpetrators and, if convicted, impose sanctions,” the statement said.
It also called on France to “adopt legislation to define and prohibit racial profiling”.
It reiterated its recommendation that authorities should prioritize addressing “the structural and systemic causes of racial discrimination, including in law enforcement”.
A French administrative court has ruled against organizers of a march in honor of Nahl, organized by the Adama Traore Foundation, which sought to challenge a ban on a rally planned for Saturday.
Traore, who was black, died in police custody in 2016, sparking nights of unrest.
“The judge found that although the violence had decreased in recent days, its recent nature did not allow us to consider that any risk of public disturbance had disappeared,” the court said in a statement.
united nations committee — Monitoring the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination — Concerns about the Nahle case were expressed under its early warning and urgent action procedures.
It said it was deeply concerned about “persisting racial profiling and the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, particularly the police, against members of minority groups, especially those of African and Arab descent”.
“[This situation]often results in disproportionately repeated killings with little to no punishment.”
(AFP)