U.N. Panel Sharply Criticizes Police Brutality in U.S.

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Ferguson
Atlanta Police in riot gear form a line on Williams Streets as protesters make their way down it in Atlanta, Ga. on Nov. 25, 2014,John Amis—AP
By Justin Worland

A United Nations panel criticized the United States for police brutality, military interrogations and excessive use of force by law enforcement in a report released Friday.

“There are numerous areas in which certain things should be changed for the United States to comply fully with the convention,” said Alessio Bruni, a member of the United Nations Committee Against Torture, referring to U.N. agreements on torture.

The panel released their report just days after violence erupted in Ferguson, Mo., following the announcement of a grand jury’s decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for shooting and killing unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.

While the latest U.N. report did not mention Ferguson explicitly, Brown’s parents testified before the committee in Geneva earlier this month. And the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights who oversees the committee on torture, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, raised concerns over “institutionalized discrimination in the U.S.” and added that he was unsure about whether the Ferguson grand jury’s decision complies with international human rights law.

PHOTOS: See the Nation React to the Ferguson Decision

Hundreds of demonstrators, many of them Howard University students, march down the middle of U Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24, 2014.
Hundreds of demonstrators, many of them Howard University students, march down the middle of U Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24, 2014.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images
Protesters gather at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24, 2014.
Protesters gather at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24, 2014.Miguel Juarez Lugo—Zuma Press
Protesters demonstrate in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24, 2014.
Protesters demonstrate in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24, 2014.Joshua Roberts—Reuters
Protesters march around taxis on Seventh Avenue in New York City on Nov. 24, 2014.v
Protesters march around taxis near Times Square in New York City on Nov. 24, 2014.Michael Appleton—The New York Times/Redux
Protesters march near Times Square in New York City on Nov. 24, 2014.
Protesters march near Times Square in New York City on Nov. 24, 2014.Michael Appleton—The New York Times/Redux
Protestors block the freeway during a demonstration in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2014.
Protestors block the freeway during a demonstration in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2014.Elijah Nouvelage—Retuers
Protesters block Interstate 580 in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2014.
Protesters block Interstate 580 in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2014.Noah Berger—AP
A protestor on a bike rides in front of a crowd of police officers in full riot gear in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 25, 2014.
A protestor on a bike rides in front of a crowd of police officers in full riot gear in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 25, 2014.John Orvis—Demotix/Corbis
Flames burn behind a demonstrator in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 25, 2014.
Flames burn behind a demonstrator in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 25, 2014. Stephen Lam—Reuters
Protesters kneel during a demonstration in Seattle on Nov. 24, 2014.
Protesters kneel during a demonstration in Seattle on Nov. 24, 2014.Jason Redmond—Reuters
Protesters lay down to block traffic in the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2014.
Protesters lay down to block traffic in the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2014.David McNew—Getty Images
Protesters block the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2014.
Protesters block the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2014.David McNew—Getty Images
Donald Fields, 37, with daughter Olivia Fields, 9, at a Leimert Park gathering in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2014.
Donald Fields, 37, with daughter Olivia Fields, 9, at a Leimert Park gathering in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2014. Francine Orr—Los Angeles Times/Polaris

“It is clear that, at least among some sectors of the population, there is a deep and festering lack of confidence in the fairness of the justice and law enforcement systems,” the commissioner said in a statement.

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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com