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."
SEE ALSO:Justice for Ms. Dhu: How images can help us argue for human rightsMs. 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.
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
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.
Tweet may have been deleted
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.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
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.
Ms. Dhu's mother, Della Roe, outside court Friday.Credit: AAPIMAGERoe 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."
Featured Video For You
4 Black Lives Matter Myths Debunked
(责任编辑:产品中心)
- Echo Dot (5th gen) deal — get it for $29.99 at Amazon
- 专注专业 合作共赢 打造雅安发展新高地
- Apple just discounted it's Beats headphone line for a timed sale
- Grindr, other dating apps are working to add STD notification features
- South Korea beefs up drills amid escalating NK provocations
- World's first green ammonia plant is now open for business
- North Carolina Republicans working on a new voter suppression bill.
- Apple will make closing apps easier on the iPhone X
- Haaland back in action as Bundesliga returns from mini
- [Online Predators] Deepfake pornography haunts S. Korea
- 专注专业 合作共赢 打造雅安发展新高地
- Trump calls North Korea's statement 'warm' and 'productive'
- What Jake and Logan Paul's new gossip channel says about the state of YouTube
-
近日,市委政法委会同市法院、市检察院、市公安局、市司法局,出台《全市政法系统“营造法治化营商环境提升年”责任分工方案》,全市政法系统将围绕全市中心工作,聚焦高质量发展主线,立足政法职能职责,进一步发挥 ...[详细]
-
Trump: 'still looking at June 12 summit with Kim Jong
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday (local time) he was still looking at a June 12 summit w ...[详细] -
Three murders in Philadelphia in the early 1990s, and three men who didn’t commit them.
It may have appeared coincidental when, on Aug. 23, two startling events transpired in separate high ...[详细] -
Russia's Akademik Lomonosov joins the fleet of floating nuclear power plants on our oceans
Last weekend, Russia's floating nuclear power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov, was towed out to sea fo ...[详细] -
Best Labor Day mattress deals in 2024
Welcome in fall with a comfortable new mattress that'll help you get great sleep every night. Labor ...[详细] -
市体育中心位于雅安市姚桥新区金凤路7号,占地面积140亩,由市体育馆、体育场、综合场、室外游泳池、室外篮球场、五人制足球场、风雨网球场组成,是我市对全市人民承诺的惠民工程之一,满足了市民健身运动的需求 ...[详细]
-
Teens are breaking up with Facebook faster than we thought, says study
In case we needed any more proof of just how bad Facebook's teen problem is, a new study suggests it ...[详细] -
Red Cross to produce mini documentary on Korean War
(International Committee of the Red Cross)South Korea's Red Cross said Thursday that it will produce ...[详细] -
The Astounding World of Automata
The growing world of robots and self-driving cars can trace its roots back to early automata. The or ...[详细] -
Apple launches macOS Mojave with Dark Mode, support for some iOS apps
After four mountainous macOS releases, Apple has left the high road and entered the desert. The newe ...[详细]