Urgent UN debate on racism after Floyd killing

The United Nations' top human rights body will hold an urgent debate this week on "racially inspired human rights violations, systematic racism, police brutality and the violence against peaceful protests" in the wake of the George Floyd killing in the United States.

The Human Rights Council agreed unanimously to hold the urgent debate, described by council spokesman Rolando Gomez as a "session within a session", on Wednesday as the 47-member state body resumes work left over from its March session that was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A letter sent on Friday by Burkina Faso Ambassador Dieudonne Desire Sougouri on behalf of the Africa Group to the council's president called for the "urgent debate" and noted the "tragic events" linked to the May 25 killing of Floyd in Minneapolis."The death of George Floyd was unfortunately not an isolated incident," Sougouri said during session. The council has only held four previous urgent debates, mostly on Syria, though it has held dozens of special sessions.

Last week, relatives of Floyd and other victims of police violence as well has hundreds of rights groups urged the council to hold a special session on the "escalating situation of police violence and repression of protests" in the United States alone.

(Image Credit: AP)