Charleston shooting: UN experts deplore killings of
African Americans and urge measures against racist crimes
GENEVA (19 June 2015) – Statement by the United Nations
Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. This statement is
attributable to Ms. Mireille Fanon Mendes-France, current Chairperson of the
expert group.
“We utterly condemn the appalling attack on the Emanuel
African Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina this week and the
killing of nine African Americans.
We welcome the prompt action by the authorities to
investigate this hate crime. Every effort must be made to ensure the person
guilty of this act is prosecuted and punished accordingly.
Urgent measures must be taken to prevent gun violence and
racist crimes motivated by prejudice that affect the security of
Afro-Americans, their communities and society as a whole.
We offer our heartfelt condolences to the people of the
United States of America, especially the families and friends of those who were
murdered while in worship at Church.”
ENDS
The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent
was established on 25 April 2002 by the then Commission on Human Rights,
following the World Conference against Racism held in Durban in 2001. The
Working Group is composed of five independent experts serving in their personal
capacities: Ms. Mireille FANON MENDES-FRANCE (France), current
Chair-Rapporteur; Ms. Verene SHEPHERD (Jamaica); Mr. Sabelo Gumedze (South
Africa); Mr. Ricardo A. SUNGA III (the Philippines) and Mr. Michal BALCERZAK
(Poland). Learn more, visit:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Racism/WGAfricanDescent/Pages/WGEPADIndex.aspx
The Working Groups are part of what is known as the
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
of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that
address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of
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 from
any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, country page – USA: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/LACRegion/Pages/USIndex.aspx
For more information and media requests, please contact
Niraj Dawadi (+41 22 928 9151 / ndawadi@ohchr.org) or write to
africandescent@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917
9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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