United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay called Friday for an “immediate investigation” into the circumstances surrounding the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black teen shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain.
“As High Commissioner for Human Rights, I call for an immediate investigation,” Pillay said, the telegraph.co.uk reports. “Justice must be done for the victim. It’s not just this individual case. It calls into question the delivery of justice in all situations like this.”
Martin, who was returning from a nearby convenience store, was fatally shot by Zimmerman, in a gated community in Sanford on February 26.
Zimmerman has claimed self-defense. He told police that Martin punched him in the nose and slammed his head into the ground, although a police surveillance video the night Zimmerman was questioned, showed no visible signs of injuries.
While Zimmerman has admitted to killing Martin, he was never arrested nor charged as then state prosecutor Norm Wolfinger believed there was insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute the case, despite a recommendation from the lead investigator that the shooter be charged.
A new special prosecutor Angela Corey, is currently reviewing Martin’s case and charges could be brought before a Grand Jury meets on April 10.
Meanwhile, Martin’s killing has sparked nationwide protests and marches, with calls for Zimmerman’s arrest.
“The law should operate equally in respect of all violations. I will be awaiting an investigation and prosecution and trial and of course reparations for the victims concerned,” Pillay said.
The Florida Civil Right Association(FCRA) said they welcomed the UN Human Rights Chief’s calls for an immediate investigation.
“We believe that the United Nations involvement can help prevent another Trayvon Martin situation in other counties across the world,” said FCRA President J. Willie David, III. “The shooting death of Trayvon Martin and Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law have created a worldwide movement that calls into question how justice is delivered to victims of color.”
David said the FCRA believes race matters when the “victim is white” and the “shooter is black” when it comes to the type of law enforcement action that is received by the victim.
“The Florida Civil Rights Association is calling on the police and prosecutors to end their questionable practices of operating in secrecy when it comes to African Americans,” he said.
[…] a million Christians stripped of their citizenship and property and exiled from Sudan? Bah! There is a dispute in the US over a black kid killed by a white Hispanic. “The law should […]
[…] can help prevent another Trayvon Martin situation in other countries across the world,” claimed FCRA boss Willie David, perhaps unaware of the UN’s record. “The shooting death of Trayvon […]
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