During its 5th session, the Expert Mechanism will hold public in-person consultations on systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent in the enforcement of drug laws and policies. The key observations and recommendations emanating from the consultations will inform the Expert Mechanism's 5th annual report to be presented to the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council.
Opening Session Tracie Keesee, EMLER expert Víctor Rodríguez Rescia, EMLER expert Zaved Mahmood, OHCHR advisor on drug policy and human rights Discussion 1: Impacts of Drug Policing on Africans and People of African Descent Purpose: To explore how practices related to drug law and policy enforcement could generate disproportionate outcomes for Africans and people of African descent, shaping their first point of contact with the criminal justice system. Key Questions: Disproportionate outcomes in policing: How do policing methods to enforce drug laws and policies — including stop and search, surveillance, and racial profiling — disproportionately impact Africans and people of African descent across different regions? Evidence of policing with discriminatory outcomes: What data, disaggregated by race or ethnic origin or by nationality, is available regarding unlawful force, arbitrary arrests and pretrial detention in drug operations? Disproportionate outcomes of militarized policing and special enforcement units in drug operations: What evidence exists on how militarized approaches to drug policing, including "war on drugs" strategies, may produce disproportionate impacts on Africans and people of African descent, particularly in relation to harms and death during drug-related operations? The Human Security Paradigm: How does framing drug policy through a human security lens, as opposed to a state-centric "war on drugs" model, fundamentally alter the assessment of policing practices and their legitimacy under international human rights law? Intersectionality: How do race and ethnic origin - when intersecting with other characteristics such as gender, age, disability, migration or other status - compound the harms and forms of institutional violence experienced by Africans and people of African descent during policing encounters related to drug policy enforcement? Speakers:Fabrice Olivet, Co-founder, Manager, Auto‑Support des Usagers de Drogues Marcela Córdoba, Ethnic and Racial Justice Coordinator, Dejusticia Trevor Velinor, Police Commissioner (Ret.), Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) Aua Balde, Member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director at Drug Policy Alliance Tracie Keesee, EMLER expert Víctor Rodríguez Rescia, EMLER expert Discussion 2: The Role of Drug Laws in Systemic Racism Against Africans and People of African Descent at All Stages of the Criminal Justice System Purpose: To examine how discriminatory outcomes compound at every decision point after policing, reinforcing unequal treatment of, and institutional violence against, Africans and people of African descent. Key Questions: Overrepresentation in detention: How and why are Africans and people of African descent disproportionately represented in detention and prison populations in drug cases, including conditions of confinement? Justice chain outcomes: What evidence exists on how justice system processes influence outcomes in drug-related cases, particularly regarding potential disparities affecting Africans and people of African descent in areas such as charging decisions, access to legal representation, and fairness of trials? Death penalty & severe penalties: Where applicable, how have Africans and people of African descent been disproportionately subjected to the death penalty or harsh sentences for drug offences? and how does this constitute a violation of the right to life and freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment? Intersectional disparities: How do race and ethnic origin when intersecting with other characteristics - such as gender, migration status, poverty, health or other status - produce compounded harms and experiences of institutional violence against Africans and people of African descent in court and detention settings? Longterm consequences: What are the social, political, economic, and health impacts of these justice outcomes on Africans and people of African descent individuals, families, and communities? Speakers: Audrey Mena, Executive Director, Ilex Accion Juridica Ajeng Larasati, Human Rights Lead, Harm Reduction International Tracie Keesee, EMLER expert Víctor Rodríguez Rescia, EMLER expert
