Victor EzejaThe family of Tyre Nichols has filed an urgent appeal to the United Nations requesting an urgent
action regarding the torture and extrajudicial killing of Nichols, a person of African descent in Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America.
The appeal was filed by renowned international civil rights legal counsels: Benjamin Crump,
Jasmine Rand and Yetunde Asika on behalf of the Nichols’ family.
Nichols’ death on 10th January was as a result of grave torture by some Memphis Police Officers on 7th January 2023.
“Today, we filed an Urgent Appeal before the United Nations asking it to condemn the tragic killing of Tyre Nichols, to demand transparency from the police department, and to demand that Officer Preston Hemphill and all other officers that participated in the incident are criminally charged,” Attorney Ben Crump stated.
Attorney Jasmine Rand, founder of Rand Law (a Miami-based civil litigation firm), on her part, faulted the manner in which Police handled the matter. According to her, the prosecutor failed to arrest non-Black officers involved in the incident.
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“So far five officers have been criminally charged for the death of Tyre Nichols. All five officers are Black. However, there is a sixth officer named Preston Hemphill who participated in the incident and tasered Tyre Nichols, and the ongoing police investigation stated that he falsified testimony and evidence in the case based on a review of video footage. Officer Hemphill is White.
“The speed with which prosecutor arrested five Black officers for police brutality and criminally charged them for killing Tyre Nichols is undermined by the prosecutor’s failure to arrest non-Black officers involved in the incident,” Rand stated.
Yetunde Asika, an international human rights lawyer, who is of Nigerian descent, while condemning the extrajudicial killing of Nichols, similarly berated the Police Department for failing to hold white officials involved in the unfortunate incident accountable, adding that it amounts to selective justice in the matter, which speaks to the deepening racial divide in America.
“The international community is outraged by the treatment of people of African descent in America, the police brutality levied against Tyre Nichols that caused his death, and the failure to hold White officers accountable.”
Preliminary results of an autopsy commissioned by attorneys for Tyre Nichols’ family revealed that he suffered “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.” He was said to have died after a confrontation with Memphis Police.
“We can state that preliminary findings indicate Tyre suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating, and that his observed injuries are consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on the video of his fatal encounter with police on January 7, 2023,” attorney Benjamin Crump said in a statement recently.
According to a police statement, Nichols, 29, was pulled over by the Memphis Police on 7th January over alleged reckless driving.
The police claimed that a confrontation ensued as officers approached his car and he fled on foot, before he was taken into custody.
Nichols complained of shortness of breath, and was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and he died three days later, police added.
The family attorney accused police officers of subjecting Nichols to heavy beating and excessive torture leading to his death.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Police Department has fired five officers, involved in the matter, all of whom are Black, for violating policies on excessive use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render aid, the department said.
A CNN report says that two members of the city’s fire department were fired, adding that “The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced an investigation into Nichols’ death and the US Department of Justice and FBI have opened a civil rights investigation.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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