ລິ້ງ ສຳຫລັບເຂົ້າຫາ

ວັນອັງຄານ, ໑໙ ມີນາ ໒໐໒໔

ກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳ ສຫລ ເປີດການສືບສວນ ກົມຕຳຫຼວດ ມີນນີອາໂປລິສ


ທ່ານເມີຣິກ ກາແລນ ລັດຖະມົນຕີກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳຂອງສະຫະລັດ.
ທ່ານເມີຣິກ ກາແລນ ລັດຖະມົນຕີກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳຂອງສະຫະລັດ.

ກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳສະຫະລັດ ໄດ້ເປີດການສືບສວນດ້ານສິດທິພົນລະເມືອງຕໍ່ກົມຕຳຫຼວດໃນນະຄອນມິນນີອາໂປລິສ ຫົວເມືອງໃນເຂດພາກກາງຕອນເໜືອຂອງສະ ຫະລັດ ອີງຕາມການປະກາດ ຂອງລັດຖະມົນຕີກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳສະຫະລັດ ທ່ານເມີຣິກ ກາແລນ ໃນວັນພຸດວານນີ້ ນຶ່ງມື້ຫຼັງຈາກຄະນະຕຸລາການ ໄດ້ພົບວ່າອະ ດີດຕຳຫຼວດໃນນະຄອນມິນນີອາໂປລິສ ເດເຣັກ ໂຊວິນ ມີຄວາມຜິດໃນຖານຂ້າທ້າວຈອຣ໌ຈ ຟລອຍດ໌ ຕາຍ.

ອະດີດຕຳຫຼວດຜິວຂາວຄົນນີ້ ຖືກພົບເຫັນວ່າມີຄວາມຜິດ ໃນທັງ 3 ກະທົງ ກ່ຽວກັບການສັງຫານທ້າວຟລອຍດ໌ ຜູ້ຊາຍຜິວດຳທີ່ເສຍຊີວິດ ຫຼັງຈາກທ້າວໂຊວິນ ໄດ້ເອົາຫົວເຂົ່າເຕັງລົງໃສ່ຄໍຂອງລາວກັບພື້ນຖະໜົນ ເປັນເວລາດົນກວ່າ 9 ນາທີ.

ການສືບສວນທີ່ມີຂຶ້ນຢ່າງວ່ອງໄວດັ່ງກ່າວ ຈະກວດສອບເບິ່ງວ່າກົມຕຳຫຼວດໃນນະຄອນມິນນີອາໂປລິສ ມີການພົວພັນ “ຢ່າງເປັນລະບົບ ຫຼືການປະຕິບັດ” ໃນການເຮັດວຽກຂອງຕຳຫຼວດ ທີ່ຜິດກົດໝາຍລັດຖະທຳມະນູນຫຼືບໍ່ ນັ້ນຄືຄຳເວົ້າຂອງທ່ານກາແລນ ທີ່ກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳສະຫະລັດ. ການສືບສວນນີ້ຈະກວດສອບເບິ່ງວ່າ ການໃຊ້ກຳລັງຂອງທາງກົມຕຳຫຼວດຕໍ່ພວກປະທ້ວງແລະປະຕິບັດຕໍ່ຄົນ ພິການລະເມີດກົດໝາຍຂອງລັດຖະບານກາງຫຼືບໍ່.

ທ່ານກາແລນກ່າວວ່າ “ການເສີມສ້າງຄວາມເຊື່ອໝັ້ນ ລະຫວ່າງປະຊາຄົມແລະເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ປະຕິບັດກົດໝາຍຈະໃຊ້ເວລາ ແລະຄວາມພະຍາຍາມຈາກພວກເຮົາທັງໝົດ ແຕ່ພວກເຮົາຮັບຜິດຊອບຕໍ່ວຽກງານນີ້ດ້ວຍຄວາມໝັ້ນໝາຍແລະດ້ວຍຄວາມຮີບດ່ວນ ໂດຍຮູ້ດີວ່າ ການປ່ຽນແປງບໍ່ສາມາດລໍຖ້າໄດ້.”

ການປະກາດດັ່ງກ່າວແມ່ນຂີດໝາຍຂອງການປ່ຽນແປງໃນບູລິມະສຸດຂອງກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳ ພາຍໃຕ້ປະທານາທິບໍດີໂຈ ໄບເດັນແລະໄດ້ສະທ້ອນໃຫ້ເຫັນເຖິງຄວາມໝັ້ນໝາຍຂອງລັດຖະບານທ່ານທີ່ຈະໃຊ້ການສືບສວນ “ຢ່າງເປັນລະບົບຫຼືການປະຕິບັດ” ກ່ຽວກັບການລະເມີດສິດທິພົນລະເມືອງ ແລະການລະເມີດອື່ນໆຢູ່ໃນກົມຕຳຫຼວດ. ການສືບສວນແບບນີ້ໄດ້ມີການນຳໃຊ້ຢ່າງກວ້າງຂວາງໃນສະໄໝລັດຖະບານຂອງປະທານາທິບໍດີໂອບາມາແຕ່ກົນລະຍຸດດັ່ງກ່າວໄດ້ຖືກຍົກໃນເວລາຕໍ່ມາ ພາຍໃຕ້ລັດຖະບານຂອງປະທານາທິບໍດີດໍໂນລ ທຣຳ.

ຢູ່ໃນຖະແຫຼງການສະບັບນຶ່ງນັ້ນ ຜູ້ບັນຊາການຕຳຫຼວດມິນນີອາໂປລິສ ທ່ານເມດາເຣຍ ອາຣາດອນໂດ ​ກ່າວວ່າ ທ່ານຍິນດີນຳການສືບສວນດັ່ງກ່າວແລະທ່ານເອງ ແລະກົມຕຳຫຼວດຂອງທ່ານ “ຈະໃຫ້ການຮ່ວມມືຢ່າງເຕັມທີ່.”

ທ່ານອາຣາດອນໂດ ກ່າວວ່າ “ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຫວັງວ່າຈະໄດ້ແບ່ງປັນການປະຕິບັດວຽກງານອັນຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ຂອງທີມງານພວກເຮົາ ໃນແຕ່ລະມື້ ກັບທາງກະຊວງຍຸຕິ
ທຳ ແລະໄດ້ຮັບຄວາມເຫັນຂອງພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າ ກ່ຽວກັບວ່າພວກເຮົາຈະສາມາດຮັບໃຊ້ປະຊາຄົມຂອງພວກເຮົາໃຫ້ດີຂຶ້ນກວ່ານີ້ໄດ້ຈັ່ງໃດ.”

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the embattled police department in the midwestern U.S. city of Minneapolis, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Wednesday, a day after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd.

The former white police officer was convicted on three counts in the murder of Floyd, a Black man who died after being pinned in the street beneath Chauvin’s knee for more than nine minutes.

The sweeping inquiry will examine whether the Minneapolis Police Department has engaged in a “pattern or practice” of unconstitutional policing, Garland said at the Justice Department. It will also look into the department’s use of force against protestors and whether its treatment of people with behavioral disabilities violates federal law.

“Building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all of us, but we undertake this task with determination and urgency, knowing that change cannot wait,” Garland said.

The announcement marks a shift in DOJ priorities under President Joe Biden and reflects his administration’s determination to use “pattern or practice” investigations to combat civil rights violations and other abuses in police departments. Such investigations were widely used during the Obama Administration but the tactic was subsequently abandoned under former President Donald Trump.

In a statement, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said he welcomes the investigation and that he and his department “will cooperate fully.”

“I look forward to sharing the great work done by our teams, day in and day out, with the Department of Justice and getting their feedback on how we can serve our communities even better,” Arradondo said.

The inquiry into the Minneapolis Police Department is separate from a Justice Department criminal investigation of Floyd’s death, Garland said. The criminal probe is ongoing but legal experts say it is unlikely to lead to charges against Chauvin now that he’s been convicted.

Chauvin is guilty of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for causing Floyd’s death by pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds on May 25, 2020. Three other Minneapolis police officers present when Floyd died face aiding and abetting charges. Their trial is slated to begin in August.

Garland’s announcement came after Biden vowed late Tuesday that his administration would continue to fight for policing reform and an end to systemic racism.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called on Congress to approve policing reform legislation in a bill named for Floyd.

Garland said the Justice Department will issue a public report if it uncovers unconstitutional or unlawful policing in Minneapolis. The investigation could take up to a year or more.

The report will likely be followed by a civil lawsuit against the Minneapolis Police Department and the City of Minneapolis and eventually to a court-enforced agreement known as a consent decree, said Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund.

The Obama administration investigated 25 police departments, negotiating 14 consent decrees. (( https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/922461/download ))

None was done under the Trump administration.

In 2018, Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general, signed a memo that limited the use of consent decrees, saying the agreements had demoralized police departments.

The Sessions memo was rescinded by Garland last week.

“The department,” Garland wrote in an April 16 memo to Justice Department officials, “will return to the traditional process that allows the heads of [DOJ] components to approve most settlement agreements, consent decrees, and the use of monitors in cases involving state and local governmental entities.”

Whether consent decrees work remains controversial. Proponents believe they bring needed reform to police departments plagued by abuse.

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