Policing and Human Rights – Native American Rights Fund and University of Colorado Law School Project Condemn Killings and Call for Law Reform to Address Police Brutality and Racism

June 3, 2020

In response to recent incidents of police brutality and racism in the United States, the Project to Implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples expresses its solidarity with African Americans and other people of color, and offers several resources to guide reform of policing consistent with human rights standards.

“Based on the facts as generally known, the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor violate the human right to life, as well as rights to be free from discrimination and violence, rights that the United States has committed to uphold as a matter of international law,” said James Anaya, Dean of the University of Colorado Law School. 

The United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights issued a statement this week urging the United States to take “serious action” to halt police killings of unarmed African Americans.

“International human rights law is binding on all States and their agents, including law enforcement officials,” as explained by Human Rights Standards and Practice for the Police, a manual published by the Office of the High Commissioner.

“Condemning these incidents of violence and discrimination, we call for law reform at the national and state levels to hold police accountable and ensure the human rights of African Americans, as well as indigenous peoples and other minorities,” said John Echohawk, Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund.

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In Solidarity.  A statement from the Center for Native American Youth