Amnesty International Australia is distressed and alarmed by the death of a 24-year-old Aboriginal man while in police custody following an incident of police brutality at a Coles supermarket in Alice Springs on Tuesday afternoon.
The young man’s death was caused by police who held him in restraint that stopped him from breathing, forcing him to lose consciousness. He was pronounced dead shortly after paramedics took him to Alice Springs Hospital.
“There is absolutely no justification for police to use force against someone that is so brutal that it cuts off their breathing and kills them,”
Uncle Rodney Dillon, Amnesty International Australia’s Indigenous Rights Spokesperson
“There is absolutely no justification for police to use force against someone that is so brutal that it cuts off their breathing and kills them,” says Uncle Rodney Dillon, Amnesty International Australia’s Indigenous Rights Spokesperson.
It comes just two weeks before the anticipated findings of the coronial inquest into the 2019 death of Kumanjayi Walker, a 19-year-old Warlpiri man also from Yuendumu, who was fatally shot by then-Constable Zachary Rolfe during an attempted arrest.
“Amnesty International stands with the Yuendemu community who will be grieving the loss of another young man who was brutally killed by police officers using excess force,” says Uncle Rodney Dillon.
“The use of excess force by NT police must be independently investigated, and the findings from the inquiry into this death, the death of Kumanjayi Walker from his same community and from the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody must be fully implemented.”
Uncle Rodney Dillon
“The use of excess force by NT police must be independently investigated, and the findings from the inquiry into this death, the death of Kumanjayi Walker from his same community and from the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody must be fully implemented.”
Since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, which produced 339 recommendations to prevent such tragedies, more than 590 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody.
The continued occurrence of these deaths highlights a failure to implement these critical recommendations and to address the systemic issues within the justice system.
Amnesty International Australia calls for an immediate, independent, and transparent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding this latest death.
It is imperative that the investigation is conducted by a body entirely separate from the Northern Territory Police to ensure impartiality and to maintain public confidence in the process.
The death of yet another young Aboriginal person in police custody is unacceptable and demands immediate action. Amnesty International Australia stands in solidarity with the Yuendumu community and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in their pursuit of justice and systemic change.
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all – and we can only do it with your support.
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