Okeil: Over 1000 civilians are killed each year by law-enforcement officers in the US

Sherif Abdul-Hamid: An international investigation must be opened into crimes of police violence in the USA

Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights condemns the violent practices of the law-enforcement officers against black American citizens and denounces the brutality of the American police in dealing with ethnic minorities in the United States of America. In a recent accident, an African American youth was shot dead by the police in Akron city in Ohio, which sparked angry demonstrations on Sunday, July 3, 2022.

Gayland Walker, 25, was killed on June 27 while officers were attempting to stop his vehicle after committing a traffic violation. On Sunday, police released a heartbreaking video clip showing the young man getting shot in the chest. The mayor said that the police shot him dead while trying to stop his vehicle adding that the suspect's actions prompted the police officers to believe there is deadly threat, so they open fire at him.

The police did not give details about the shooting, but local media said that more than 60 wounds were found on the body fired by eight policemen. The officers involved in the shooting of the young man were placed on paid administrative leave pending the completion of the judicial investigation.

Maat calls for the need to apply the Human Rights Council resolution (A/HRC/43/L.50), on the protection of the rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and people of African descent from police brutality and other human rights violations. It also calls on the US authorities to open an independent investigation into the causes of the increase and growth of violence against racial minorities of the blacks and to immediately work to address these problems in order to allow the ethnic minorities to enjoy their full rights, as well as work to improve the social, health and economic conditions of the African American population.

In this context, Ayman Okeil, president of Maat, denounced the policy of violence used by the American police against black citizens. Okeil said that the murder of Gayland Walker was not the first of its kind, it is one of the thousands of incidents that highlight the racial discrimination in American society, and the crimes against "black" citizens by the police forces. Okeil added that there are more than 1000 civilians are killed each year by law-enforcement officers in the US, most of whom are black, and the policy of impunity remains prevalent.

Akil explained that 98 percent of police killings between 2013 and 2020 did not result in charges being brought against officers who committed crimes. And between 2005 and 2015, only 54 officers were charged after killings involving police.

For his part, Sherif Abdel Hamid, director of the Research and Studies Unit at the Maat Foundation, demanded that the police who killed Gayland Walker be held accountable, open an independent international investigation into police violence crimes in the United States of America, and provide practical recommendations to eliminate systemic racism and racial discrimination in the United States within an integrated and comprehensive plan .