Amnesty International has delivered more than one million signatures from around the world to US Attorney General William Barr demanding justice for George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 25 May 2020.
The letter, which can be found here, conveys Amnesty International’s grave concerns about racist policing practices used disproportionately against Black people in the USA, and demands the police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd be held accountable.
“It is shameful that over four months have gone by since the horrifying killing of George Floyd without any meaningful commitments from the US government to prevent this kind of crime from occurring again,” said Julie Verhaar, Acting Secretary General of Amnesty International. “It appears that the US government is more committed to the status quo of law enforcement in the country, which is rife with racist policing practices and lack of accountability, rather than listening to the global outcry for racial justice and an end to police violence. It is abhorrent and unacceptable that the Trump administration has failed to address the police’s use of lethal force to deprive Black people of their right to life, time and time again.”
Additional information:
Amnesty International is calling for meaningful reforms to end police violence and demanding that the US government respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of Black people.
Amnesty International USA responded to the June 16 Trump executive order on policing, referring to it as a “Band-aid for a bullet wound”.
Additionally, Amnesty International has documented the excessive use of force by police across the USA in response to the protests of George Floyd’s killing. An investigation carried out by the organization analyzed widespread and egregious human rights violations carried out by police forces across the USA in response to largely peaceful assemblies protesting systemic racism and police violence, including the killing of Black people. Amnesty International in the USA has created a guide for law enforcement officials policing demonstrations.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Lucy Scholey, Media Relations, Amnesty International Canada, 613-744-7667 ext. 236, lscholey@amnesty.ca
Read more:
Amnesty International Letter Demanding Justice for George Floyd (Letter, 6 October 2020) https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr51/3153/2020/en
