Footage of 'inhumane' treatment of jailed Aboriginal woman rattles Australia
A coronial inquest released CCTV footage of 22-year-old Julieka Dhu's time in lock-up before her death in police custody on Friday. The Indigenous Yamatji woman passed away in August 2014, but her family requested for the footage to be made public. West Australian state coroner Ros Fogliani called the footage "profoundly disturbing." Ms. Dhu was in lock-up after it was found she owed AU$3,622 ($2,664) in unpaid fines. Suffering pneumonia and a chest infection caused by a broken rib -- inflicted during an incident in which she was the victim of domestic violence -- she died on her second trip to hospital while incarcerated. In one of the videos, police can be seen dragging an ill Ms. Dhu to a police van, after dropping her on her head. Police had, at the time, called her a "junkie" and told hospital staff she was "faking it" according to the Guardian. The Coroner made a number of recommendations in court Friday, including that jail no longer be an option for the non-payment of fines -- a practice in the state that sees many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reportedly jailed for minor offences. Indigenous and non-Indigenous commentators alike have taken to Twitter to voice their disappointment in the inquest's findings -- citing a systemic lack of accountability as the reason police officers involved in the case will not face further discipline. 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) which issued a recommendation (number 92) that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples be sent to jail only as a last resort. 25 years later, and the state coroner is recommending the same thing, again. Out of the royal commission's 339 recommendations, just a few have been implemented. Over 400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in police custody since the recommendations of the RCIADIC were passed. According to NITV, 84 percent of the Northern Territory prison population is Indigenous and in Western Australia, Aboriginal people are 20 times more likely to be incarcerated. Nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make up 3 percent of the population, but are 28 percent more likely to be imprisoned. Ruth Barson, the director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre said in a statement Friday: "The Western Australian Government, and indeed all governments across Australia, have largely failed to follow the road map provided 25 years ago by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody both on how to prevent these types of tragic deaths and also, really importantly, how to reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's over-imprisonment. "It's profoundly upsetting that this is a death in custody that was entirely avoidable," she said. While Fogliani told the court that Ms. Dhu's treatment by both police and hospital staff was "deficient" and was influenced by preconceived notions about Aboriginal people, Ms. Dhu's grandmother Carol Roe said it felt as though her family still haven't seen justice. Roe told gathered reporters she hoped the CCTV would show Australia the truth of what happened. "Her birthday is in 10 days' time," she said. "We are supposed to celebrate Christmas but we can't because there’s one missing in my family. I have to go to the cemetery, that's my Christmas."Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
An "entirely avoidable" death
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Featured Video For You
4 Black Lives Matter Myths Debunked
- 最近发表
-
- NASA's new plan keeps Starliner astronauts in space until 2025
- N.K. may hold party congress in May without foreign guests: source
- I bet you can't guess where the Huawei MateBook X Pro hides its camera
- 进一步加强对甲型H1N1流感防控工作
- How 3D Game Rendering Works: Texturing
- US spy aircraft on missions over East Sea: aviation tracker
- The enigma that is Karim Benzema
- How to turn off Facebook's new face recognition features
- Spaceship tech slashes energy usage of existing AC systems
- Ukraine can complete World Cup dream in Wales
- 随机阅读
-
- US to oppose North Korean worker dispatch to occupied Ukrainian territory: State Dept.
- 我市三级以上汽车客运站开展优质文明服务竞赛
- These new photos show just how massive Apple's 'spaceship' campus will be
- 芦灵路断道 宝兴绕行通道受阻
- We Cannot Live Without Cryptography!
- Here's the deal behind that viral parade of dancing children's characters
- Kanye West was spotted sitting in a chair and doing stuff
- Trump doesn't need security briefings because he's 'like, a smart person'
- “笋货”上市采购旺!清远西牛麻竹笋迎秋季尝鲜热
- Hyundai, Kia report zero EV fires from overcharging
- Seoul records 26 consecutive tropical nights, most on record
- Europeans urge strict sanctions enforcement on North Korea
- 23 Peculiar Places of 2023
- North Korea reports five deaths, damage in typhoon
- 我市三级以上汽车客运站开展优质文明服务竞赛
- Fifa World Cup trophy arrives in Pakistan
- This shark lives for centuries. Scientists discover how it resists aging.
- Hilarious meme reveals the 'real' names of your favorite celebrities
- 小手拉大手共建美丽雨城
- How to delete your Vero account
- 搜索
-
- 友情链接
-