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Updated July 13th, 2021 at 15:05 IST

UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet seeks reparations for systemic racism

The United Nations' human rights chief encouraged governments to "fully fund comprehensive processes" and embrace "a wide range of reparations measures."

Reported by: Bhumika Itkan
UN
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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To redress the legacies of slavery, colonialism, and racial discrimination, the United Nations' human rights chief encouraged governments to "fully fund comprehensive processes" and embrace "a wide range of reparations measures."

Michelle Bachelet presented a major study to the United Nations Human Rights Council, which was launched following the assassination of George Floyd in the United States and released last month. It's been a year in the making, and it's hoping to capitalise on the increased global attention being paid to the scourge of racism and its effects on people of African heritage.

Despite some attempts at seeking the truth through apologies, litigation, and memorialization, Bachelet told the council in Geneva that research "could not find a single example of a state that has comprehensively reckoned with its past or accounted for its impacts on the lives of people of African descent today."

“Create, reinforce, and fully fund comprehensive processes –– with full participation of affected communities –– to share the truth about what was done, and the harms it continues to inflict,” she recommended.

“Establishing the truth about these legacies, and their impact today, and taking steps to address this harm through a wide range of reparations measures is crucial to healing our societies and providing justice for terrible crimes,” Bachelet said. “Measures taken to address the past will transform our future.”

Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison

Following the murder of Floyd, a Black American, by a white police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020, the Human Rights Council commissioned the report during a special session last year. Derek Chauvin, the cop, was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in jail earlier this month.

In a video message to the council, Benjamin Moeling, the US charge d'affaires in Geneva, praised the "insightful and forthright report." “The United States is addressing these challenges, at home and abroad, honestly and transparently by tackling the underlying issues of racial discrimination and the use of excessive force in policing,” he said.

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Published July 13th, 2021 at 15:05 IST

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