UN Committee calls on France to fully investigate the killing of teenager Nahel M.

(Patria) - The United Nations Committee has called on France to ensure that the investigation into the killing of Nahel M., a teenager shot dead by police near Paris, is "thorough and impartial" and called for a ban on racial profiling, AFP reported.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), composed of 18 independent experts, expressed concern about racial profiling and excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies.

The experts also condemned "the looting and destruction of private and public property, as well as reports of mass arrests and detention of demonstrators."

The UN Committee said it welcomed the opening of an investigation into the circumstances that led to the killing of Nahel M., whose death sparked an eruption of violence in France.

"France (should) immediately ensure that the investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of Nahel M. is thorough and impartial... to prosecute the alleged perpetrators and, if convicted, to sanction them," it stated.

They also call on France to "adopt laws that define and prohibit racial profiling." The recommendation was reiterated for the authorities to address "the structural and systemic causes of racial discrimination, including in law enforcement."

The UN Committee, which monitors the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, expressed concern over the case of Nahel M. within the framework of the early warning and urgent action procedure.

They say they are deeply concerned about "the continued practice of racial profiling combined with excessive use of force by law enforcement officers, especially the police, against members of minority groups, particularly people of African and Arab origin."