The concerns over reports of alleged police led human rights abuses against African-Americans in the United States have been acknowledged by the US authorities at the highest levels. In relation to the death of Mr. Freddie Grey in Baltimore, and the reaction to his death, President Obama has highlighted the need to investigate how laws and their policing are implemented, while also condemning the violence that some protestors were involved in.
The US authorities at the Federal, State and municipal level, as well as a range of widely respected US human rights and law reform NGOs, are actively looking at the Baltimore case and others around the US. The recently appointed Attorney-General Loretta Lynch has confirmed that the Department of Justice will continue its investigation into Mr. Gray's death. Investigations at city and state level are also continuing and have resulted in some charges being brought earlier this week.
The US has a robust democracy and a respected legal system and I would expect that they will continue to deal with such cases of public concern in an open and transparent way.
I welcome the continued efforts of President Obama and his administration to address the concerns raised by these recent incidents and to build improved relations and trust between US law enforcement and all communities around the United States.
