The Brazilian government should invite the new UN International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement to conduct a fact-finding mission in Brazil, more than 100 international and Brazilian organizations said today in an open letter to Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franco França.

The official invitation is necessary for the UN experts to be able to visit the country, where police abuse, disproportionately of Black people, is a chronic problem.

Police killed more than 6,400 people in 2020, according to the latest data available, the highest number ever recorded by the nonprofit Brazilian Forum of Public Security, which collects official data from Brazilian states.

While Black people make up about 56 percent of Brazil’s population, nearly 80 percent of those killed are Black.

“Police abuse has an enormous toll on people of African descent in Brazil,” said Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch.

“The government should invite the UN experts to assess the situation and provide recommendations, which would be valuable contributions to ensuring professional and efficient police forces that collaborate with and protect communities, and uphold the rule of law, without discrimination.”

The signatories include grassroots groups working in communities affected by police abuse, associations of mothers of victims of police violence, and organizations focusing on racial equality, national human rights organizations, and academic institutions.

During a visit to Brazil, the UN experts could gather information and meet with members of directly affected communities, human rights organizations, and representatives of federal and state governments.

Their independent assessment and recommendations could significantly help and inform federal and state authorities in the process of developing reforms to uphold basic rights and advance racial justice and equality.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution establishing the group of experts “to further transformative change for racial justice and equality in the context of law enforcement globally” in July 2021.