NEW YORK - Unlawful killings by law enforcement continue to be reported worldwide, undermining public trust in the very institutions that are meant to protect people, a UN expert said today, calling for thorough investigations and prevention measures to be implemented without exception.
"Law enforcement plays a vital role in protecting the public and upholding the right to life. Yet unlawful killings by police persist, often with impunity. States must do more to end these abuses, which violate the right to life and betray law enforcement's core mission," said Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
In his report, Tidball-Binz outlined practical safeguards across the entire policing cycle, from legislation and operational policy to incident reporting, after-action review and accountability, to align day-to-day policing with international standards on the use of lethal force and the protection of life. He underscored the need for structurally and operationally independent investigative bodies, the protection of scenes, evidence and witnesses, as well as robust medico-legal capacity and transparency through disaggregated data and public communication.
"Every potentially unlawful death requires an investigation that is prompt, effective, independent and impartial, in accordance with the UN Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death," the Special Rapporteur said. "Investigators must have the authority and resources to do their work free from interference, and families must be kept informed and treated with dignity throughout."
The expert stressed the need to strengthen the independence and impartiality of investigative and forensic institutions, improve the quality and reliability of their work, and ensure access to justice for victims and their families. "Removing systemic barriers to accountability, including when superior responsibility is at stake or where immunities and amnesties shield wrongdoing, is not optional - it is an indispensable obligation to uphold the rule of law," he said.
While lethal force may be used only in exceptional circumstances and strictly in line with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, precaution, non-discrimination and accountability, Tidball-Binz said that arbitrary deprivations of life continue to be reported worldwide, often with disproportionate impact on people in situations of vulnerability.
The Special Rapporteur warned about situations of heightened risk, including public assemblies and crowd control, counter-terrorism and serious crime operations, drug enforcement, states of emergency, custodial settings, border and migration control, and militarised policing, where weak safeguards, polarising rhetoric, and insufficient independent oversight and judicial accountability can fuel impunity.
"The effective implementation of established standards, in law and in practice, is essential to uphold the right to life and to build public trust," the expert said.
"Impunity for unlawful killings by law enforcement is not inevitable, it is preventable when States match commitments with concrete action."
