by KS
UNITED STATES: Minneapolis P.D. Under Federal Probe
In the wake of the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict, and the death of Daunte Wright, the federal government has taken bold action.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced April 21 that the Justice Department has opened a pattern or practice investigation into the City of Minneapolis (the City) and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). The investigation will assess all types of force used by MPD officers, including uses of force involving individuals with behavioral health disabilities and uses of force against individuals engaged in activities protected by the First Amendment. The investigation will also assess whether MPD engages in discriminatory policing.
As part of the investigation the Justice Department will conduct a comprehensive review of MPD policies, training and supervision. The department will also examine MPD’s systems of accountability, including complaint intake, investigation, review, disposition and discipline. The Department of Justice will also reach out to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with MPD.
“The investigation I am announcing today will assess whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during protests,” said Attorney General Garland. “Building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all of us, but we undertake this task with determination and urgency, knowing that change cannot wait.”
That morning, Department of Justice officials informed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, MPD Chief Medaria Arradondo, City Attorney Jim Rowader, City Coordinator Mark Ruff, and City Council President Lisa Bender of the investigation. The department will continue to work closely with both the City and MPD as the investigation progresses.
The investigation is being conducted pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. The Act allows the Department of Justice to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation. The department will be assessing law enforcement practices under the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as under the Safe Streets Act of 1968, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Special Litigation Section of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, are jointly conducting this investigation. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Department of Justice via email at Community.Minneapolis@usdoj.gov or by phone at 866-432-0268. Individuals can also report civil rights violations regarding this or other matters using the Civil Rights Division’s new reporting portal, available at civilrights.justice.gov.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota is available on its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn.
ASIA: There’s Something in the Water
Three independent UN human rights experts expressed deep regret on April 15 over Japan’s decision to discharge potentially still radioactive Fukushima nuclear plant water into the ocean, warning that it could impact millions across the Pacific region.
“The release of one million tons of contaminated water into the marine environment imposes considerable risks to the full enjoyment of human rights of concerned populations in and beyond the borders of Japan,” said Marcos Orellana, Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on Right to Food, and David Boyd, Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment in a joint statement.
Given the warnings from environmentalists and some governments that the discharge would affect many people as well as the environment at large, the experts called the Government’s decision “very concerning.”
It comes after years of discussions with communities – including the fishing sector, which was already severely hit by the 2011 disaster – environmental NGOs, neighboring countries and civil society.
“The decision is particularly disappointing as experts believe alternative solutions to the problem are available,” they said.
Noting that the water may contain quantities of radioactive carbon-14, as well as other radioactive isotopes, the independent experts raised their concerns with the Japanese Government that discharging radioactive water to the Pacific Ocean threatens the health of people and planet.
Meanwhile, in reply to expert concerns, the Japanese Government has suggested that the treated water stored in the tanks was not contaminated.
However, the experts upheld that the ALPS water processing technology had failed to completely remove radioactive concentrations in most of the contaminated water stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
“A first application ALPS failed to clean the water below regulatory levels and there are no guarantees that a second treatment will succeed”, they said, adding that the technology did not remove radioactive tritium or carbon-14.
While Japan said that the tritium levels are very low and do not pose a threat to human health, scientists warn that in the water, the isotope organically binds to other molecules, moving up the food chain affecting plants and fish and humans.
Moreover, they say the radioactive hazards of tritium have been underestimated and could pose risks to humans and the environment for over 100 years.
AFRICA: President of Chad Killed
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has underlined the UN’s solidarity with Chad following the death of the country’s leader, announced on April 20.
President Idriss Déby died from injuries sustained in clashes with rebels in the north over the weekend, according to State media reports.
The Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn of his death, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Mr. Guterres has expressed his profound condolences to the President’s family, and to the people and Government of Chad.
“President Déby Itno was a key partner for the United Nations and made significant contributions to regional stability, particularly as part of efforts to combat terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime in the Sahel,” the statement said.
“In these difficult times, the United Nations stands with the Chadian people in their efforts to build a peaceful and prosperous future.”
President Déby, 68, had been in power for more than three decades. The announcement of his death came a day after provisional results of elections held on April 11 showed he would win a sixth term in office.
The President of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, has also expressed his condolences to the people of Chad.
“The President said he would soon convene a General Assembly meeting to pay tribute to Mr. Deby’s memory,” his Spokesperson, Brenden Varma, said during his daily briefing from New York.
RUSSIA: Concern Grows for Longtime Putin Opponent
Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have called for the urgent medical evacuation of detained Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, fearing he is in “serious danger” due to deteriorating health and harsh prison conditions.
“We believe Mr. Navalny’s life is in serious danger,” the UN independent human rights experts said in a statement.
“He has been incarcerated under harsh conditions in a high security penal colony and denied access to adequate medical care. Despite having recently been transferred to a hospital, doctors of his own choosing have not been allowed to visit him.”
Mr. Navalny, a longtime Kremlin critic, was arrested and detained in January when he returned to Russia from Germany, where he was receiving treatment after falling violently ill on a flight in August 2020. Toxicology reports later determined he had been poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.
In February he was sentenced to more than two years in prison for alleged parole violations while he was abroad. In early March, reports emerged of a sharp deterioration in his health. Prison authorities reportedly failed to provide him with adequate medical care or to allow his own doctors to visit him, the experts said, citing information they had received.
Mr. Navalny began a hunger strike in protest on March 31 and was transferred to a prison hospital.
“We are deeply troubled that Mr. Navalny is being kept in conditions that could amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in a facility that reportedly does not meet international standards,” the UN experts said.
They stressed that under international human rights law, the State bears responsibility for the care and “bodily integrity” of detained persons, irrespective of the reason for their detention.
The Russian Government must take all necessary measures to protect Mr. Navalny’s physical and mental health, and well-being, they added.
“We are extremely concerned that the current danger to Mr. Navalny’s life, his most recent incarceration and the past attacks on him, including an attempt against his life last August with the nerve agent Novichok, which the Russian authorities have yet to effectively investigate, are all part of a deliberate pattern of retaliation against him for his criticism of the Russian Government and a gross violation of his human rights,” the experts said.
They urged the authorities to ensure that Mr. Navalny has access to his own doctors, and to allow him to be evacuated abroad for urgent medical treatment, as they did in August 2020.
