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The United Nations’ top human rights body will hold an urgent debate on allegations of “systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests” in the United States on Wednesday, a statement said.
The decision by the UN Human Rights Council followed a request last week by Burkina Faso on behalf of African countries, it said in a statement on Monday. The United States is not a member of the 47-member state forum in Geneva.
“The death of George Floyd is unfortunately not an isolated incident,” the letter said, referring to the unarmed black man who died on May 25 under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer, igniting worldwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality.
“The numbers of previous cases of unarmed people of African descent who met the same fate because of uncontrolled police violence are legion,” the letter added.
The “international outrage” provoked by the death underlined the importance of the Human Rights Council discussing these issues, it said, noting that 600 activist groups and victims’ relatives had called last week for a special session.
The UN's session comes as campaigners call on authorities to either de-fund, reform or abolish US police departments after four weeks of street clashes between law enforcement and demonstraters.
Minneapolis councillors voted on Friday unanimously to pursue a community-led public safety system that will replace the police department following Floyd’s death.
Council president Lisa Bender also described the city's relationship with its police department as "toxic", and called on lawmakers to rethink what policing is.
“Our commitment is to do what’s necessary to keep every single member of our safe, and to tell the truth: that the Minneapolis police are not doing that", said Ms Bender last week.
The death of Rayshard Brooks, a black man killed by a white police officer in Atlanta on Friday, reignited protests in the city. It has been ruled a homicide caused by gunshot wounds to the back, the examiner’s office said on Sunday.