UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : HRC - Press conference: Investigative Bodies

[Other language spoken]

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us at this press conference with the Expert Mechanism to advance racial justice and equality in law enforcement.

With us today are Acting Chair of the Expert Mechanism, Miss Tracy Kozi, and joining online a fellow expert, Mr Victor Rodriguez.

As you may know, the Expert Mechanism was established by the Human Rights Council in 2021 to examine systemic racism and its root causes worldwide.

Today, it's experts will be sharing the findings of their latest report ahead of their presentation to the Human Rights Council this afternoon.

Now Mr Kozie, sorry, excuse me now, Miss Kozie will make an opening statement and then we'll open the floor to your questions.

[Other language spoken]

And thank you everyone who has joined us here and online of course.

And a warm welcome to my colleague Victor Rodriguez.

I guess Rodriguez who's joining us also online and will be available for questions at the conclusion of my statement.

I am Doctor Tracy Kazi, I am the Interim Chair of MLR and I am in here in Geneva to present the two recent reports from the expert mechanism.

And today we'd like to take stock where we are after five years, the establishment of the international independent expert mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law enforcement, or as we like to say Imler.

The mechanism was created by the Human Rights Council in 2021 to help advance transformative change for racial justice and equality in law enforcement, to investigate responses and peaceful anti racism protests, and to contribute to the accountability and redress for victims.

Our mandate was was created because states acknowledge the systemic racism affecting Africans and people of African descent and their interactions with law enforcement and the criminal justice system exists, that it causes real harm, and that addressing it requires more than statements of concern.

It requires independent inquiry, evidence based analysis, accountability, participation and sustained commitment to transformative justice.

Since 2022 we have worked to fulfil the mandate through our thematic reports, country visits, consultations with governments, engagement with wide range civil society actors, law enforcement and other justice system actors and most importantly listening to victims families in affected communities.

We have found over these years, in both concern and instructive across different regions, legal systems and political contexts, many of the same patterns continue to emerge.

Africans and people of African descent continue to be disproportionately the target of law enforcement policies and procedures.

They continue to experience racial profiling, excessive use of force, discriminatory stops and searches, and unequal treatment throughout the criminal justice process.

They are not simply individual failures or isolated incidents.

In many cases, they reflect systemic problems historically embedded in institutions, policies and practises.

Racial disparities are often further exacerbated when race or ethnic origin intersects with other characteristics such as gender, age, socio economic and migrant status.

A work has also shown that discrimination does not begin or end with policing.

It can infect every stage of the criminal justice system, from the initial encounter with law enforcement to arrest, prosecution, trial, sentencing, imprisonment, and release.

Our recent analysis found that racial disparities continue throughout this, continuing and often producing worse outcomes and compounding trauma for Africans and people of African descent.

At the same time, accountability remains a major challenge.

Too many victims and families continue to encounter obstacles when seeking truth, justice, and reparations.

Too often, investigations into deaths, excessive use of force, or other serious human rights violations fail to meet international standards of independence, effectiveness, or transparency.

Since our establishment, we've sought to examine these issues from different angles.

Our first thematic report focused on the critical importance of collecting and publishing disaggregated data.

We found that without reliable data, systemic racism remains difficult to identify, measure, and address.

Data is not simply a technical issue, it is a necessary tool for accountability and meaningful reform.

In 2023, we reported on what means to be to reimagine policing.

We explored ways to strengthen trust between communities and institutions, improve oversight and accountability, and reduce reliance on force while enhancing public safety.

We highlighted examples showing that protecting human rights and ensuring public safety are mutually reinforcing objectives, not competing ones.

In our subsequent report on justice, accountability and redress, we focused on what victims need and deserve when human rights violations occur.

Accountability is not only about criminal sanctions.

It's about acknowledging harm, ensuring truth, providing reparations and the acknowledgement that the realisation, the impact and trauma on the state of Wellness of law enforcement and other justice actors has a direct impact on the ability of reforming institutions so that violations do not repeat.

Last year, we turned our attention to systemic racism in the criminal justice system.

We documented how racial discrimination permeates judicial processes before, during, and after trial, affecting outcomes in ways that undermine both equality and confidence in the rule of law.

In this regard, we identified 12 key elements necessary for racially unbiased justice system aimed at eliminating discrimination at every stage of the criminal justice process.

These include robust accountability mechanisms that use of disaggregated data, fair sentencing and detention practises, and equal access to justice and remedies for victims require the full system cooperation.

This year we expanded our analysis to the enforcement of drug laws and policies, examining how racism embedded in drug control systems and how punitive and militarised approaches disproportionately affect Africans and people of African descent.

I'll be presenting this report to the Council later this afternoon.

Alongside our thematic work, country engagements remain at the heart of the mandate.

Since our creation, we have conducted visits to Sweden, the United States, Brazil, Italy, Belgium and most recently Colombia.

These visits allow us to engage directly with governments, law enforcement bodies, national institutions, civil society organisations, affected communities and victims themselves.

They produce an opportunity to understand the realities of the ground and to develop recommendations that are both practical and context specific.

This year we're presenting our report on Columbia, which adds to the body of country specific analysis and recommends Develop develop through our work.

My colleague Victor Rodriguez led the Columbia visit and is here to answer any questions you may have on this mission and beyond at the end of my statement.

Country visits are the most important tools available to us.

They allow us to identify good practises, understanding challenges, amplify the voices of affected communities, and support efforts towards meaningful reform.

Greater cooperation with the mandate strengthens our collective ability to address systemic racism and advance equality.

One of the clearest lessons over the past five years is that progress is possible.

In every region, we have encountered dedicated public officials, communities, defenders and institutions working to address racism and discrimination.

We have seen examples of improved oversight, stronger accountability mechanisms, community based approaches to public safety, better data collection practises and meaningful engagements with affective community.

Through our collaboration with the UN mandate, other UN mandate holders and specialised agencies, we also have access to new frameworks such as substantive legal effectiveness, which assesses whether laws and institutional measures are effective and responses to the lived experience and realities of affected communities.

But we also have shown and seen how fragile this progress can be.

There is increasing concerns that the advancement could be undermined.

The momentum that once drove the efforts to confront systemic racism appears to be fading, even though racial discrimination against Africans and people of African descent remains pervasive and widespread.

This demonstrates that much more remains to be done, to be addressed with lived realities of race, racism experienced by millions, rebuilding trust in institutions and making equal protection under the law a reality rather than aspirational.

Before I conclude, I want to emphasise one point that lies at the core of our mandate.

The patterns we continue to document in law enforcement in the criminal justice system did not emerge in a vacuum.

They are rooted in history.

Throughout our work, we have been reminded that contemporary racial inequalities cannot be fully understood without recognising the endurance, the enduring legacies of colonialism and enslavement.

These histories help shape ideas, institutions, and systems that continue to influence how Africans and people of African descent are perceived and treated today.

The consequences are not confined to the past.

They continue to manifest in unequal access to justice and racial profiling and disproportionate use of force and discriminatory criminal justice outcomes, and in the persistent under protection of the rights of African and people of African descent.

If we are serious about achieving transformative change, we must be willing to address both the symptoms and the root of these problems.

Reforming policies and practises is essential but is not enough.

We must also confront the historical narrative structures and legacies that continue to fuel racial discrimination and exclusion.

This requires truth telling.

It requires acknowledgement, meaningful accountability, acknowledging that the larger criminal justice systems, interrelated dependencies, repertory approaches, and sustained efforts to dismantle systemic racism in all its forms.

Over the past five years, Imler has documented hard truths, but we've also documented solutions.

We have seen examples of leadership, innovation and reform.

We have seen governments, institutions and communities taking meaningful steps towards racial justice and equality.

The challenge before us is not whether change is possible.

We know that our work is beginning to have an impact.

Brazil is a relevant example of countries making systemic efforts to implement the recommendations arising from Ambler's country visit in 2023.

Another good impact example is that on May, excuse me, March of 26th of 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that mandatory life without parole sentences for second degree murder, including felony murder, amount to cruel and unusual punishment under the Pennsylvania Constitution, signing M Lures and the Sr Racism Joint amicus brief presented in 2024 and the UN Human Rights Committee concluding observations in 2023.

The Endler sighting in this judgement is particularly meaningful as it signals the international human rights law continues to shape constitutional interpretations in local jurisdictions like in the United States.

The challenge is whether we have collective will and political will to pursue that change with the urgency that the situations demand.

This is therefore not a time to turn our attention elsewhere, but to remain vigilant and renew our commitment to keeping racial justice and equality firmly on the international agenda.

We therefore encourage all states to engage fully with Imler, to extend limitations for country visits, to implement the robust body of expert recommendations contained in our thematic and country reports.

Through genuine cooperation, transparency and accountability, we can move closer to the transformative vision that inspired their creation and this mandate five years ago.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

Now we open the floor to questions.

If we have any from the room or online, please go ahead.

[Other language spoken]

If you could, just if you could just identify yourself in the outlet that you work for.

Sorry for that.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much for this briefing.

Alexandrobois, Agence France Press First question, would you publish a report or a statement perhaps following your today's update at the Council?

[Other language spoken]

And we'll also post it on our website.

So you go to Emlers website and see not just this recording, but the statements and our reports.

And secondly, if I may.

The situation for you is particularly concerning.

I will let my colleague Victor Rodriguez attend to Colombia, but I would tell you that there is not one specific place that is more concerning than the other.

And as I mentioned before, the pervasiveness of what we have in regards to racism and systemic issues is really found in where you find those of African and African descent.

I don't want this to be a competition for who is the worst or best, but it is a consistent acknowledgement that this work is really needed and it should continue.

Victor, I don't know if you have anything you wanted to add to Colombia.

No, but just to elaborate a little bit on this.

You're considering that everywhere, everywhere you progress is, is has to be made.

Is that what you're in?

That is correct.

So everywhere we go, there has to be progress and not just progress, it needs to be sustained progress because often times we'll make that progress.

Something will happen and then we'll start to see a retrenchment and we'll start to see a reversal of things that have been done.

[Other language spoken]

Mr Rodriguez, did you have anything to add?

I'm not sure if you can hear us.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

Because this presentation, but I have to add that the main worry about the Columbia situation is the same different on to visit.

We must say in all our discipline that radical disseminations again have people is is semi structured, systemic, mean, not necessary an active policy, but also it would be the disabilitation of the dissemination or normal normalisation of the practise with impunity in in in general sense.

That's the case of of Colombia.

The reaction of the government of Colombia regards our reports is very interesting because they spend a huge report, more than 20 people answering our our question or recommendation.

We must be saying to the government, you government of of Colombia, because this answer, but our worry is most of the answer of the government, not only Colombia, but also the other question is sometimes it's the the former Lancer explaining that there is in the Constitution on the specific law, criminalization or programme to combat discrimination from the independent people.

But in the practise we need much more the formal act that the formal policies or formal proceedings or training.

We assume that the responsibility, the general responsibility to avoid discrimination had to do with the culture, with to respect the dignity of people, with the colour of things more than legislation.

Legislation is important, but it's not enough.

If I, if I have to say something in regards to Colombia, it is the wrong practises, for example, because they have all kind of law combining or facing discrimination.

But in the practise there is not enough action, policy or more than formal training.

We need impact, really impact in the in the different kinds of training process, in the application model and best practises.

[Other language spoken]

Do we have any more questions from the room or online?

[Other language spoken]

If not, that brings us to the end of this press briefing, and thank you very much.

HRC - Press conference: Investigative Bodies - 29 September 2026