Chronology of Human Rights Violations of the United States in 2015

Police hold a protester who was detained in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug 10. Protesters regrouped in Ferguson after a state of emergency was declared, aimed at preventing a repeat of violence the night before on the anniversary of the police shooting of unarmed black man Michael Brown.[Photo/Reuters]

 

AUGUST

Aug. 3

In the document on the Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, a report of the United Nations Secretary-General submitted to the 70th session of the General Assembly, the Human Rights Committee remained concerned about the practice of racial profiling and surveillance by law enforcement officials targeting certain ethnic minorities, notably Muslims. In December 2014, the Special Rapporteur expressed concerns over the decision not to bring to trial the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner in the United States.

Aug. 4

According to an article on the website of the U.S. News and World Report, since 2010, a total of 21 states had adopted new laws to limit the exercise of suffrage. Some states shortened the time for early voting, while others limited the number of documents identifying one as a lawful voter. A total of 14 states will carry out fresh measures to limit the exercise of suffrage for first time in 2016 presidential election. The voting rights were hit by the vicious competition between the two parties.

On the same day, CNBC Finance said data from the 2015 Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds report showed that the U.S. social security system was 25.8 trillion U.S. dollars in the red.

On the same day, in a document provided to the UN General Assembly by the UN General Secretary, the UN Human Rights Council expressed concern in relation to systematic practices of torture, ill-treatment or excessive use of force by members of the police or the security forces during arrest and/or interrogation of terroristic suspects.

The Committee specifically raised the issue of the lack of a timeline for closure of the Guantanamo Bay facility and called for the transfer, as soon as possible, of detainees designated for transfer.

Aug. 5

Figures released by Pew Research Center showed 53 percent of whites say more needs to be done to achieve racial equality, up 14 percentage points from 2014. Eighty-six percent of African Americans said that changes must continue to be made to achieve racial equality.

Aug. 7

The report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, submitted by Juan E. Mendez to the UN General Assembly said the US Central Intelligence Agency conducted an extraordinary rendition and secret detention program after Sept 11, 2001, which saw the United States collaborate with some other countries and assist one another in abducting, transferring, extrajudicially detaining and subjecting individuals to torture.

Aug. 12

According to a report submitted by the UN Secretary-General to the Assembly at its 70th session on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United States has yet to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United States is so far the only country that is yet to ratify the convention.

Aug. 15

The USA Today website reported that 47 percent of rural Hispanic-American babies are born poor. The report quoted a Cornell University researcher as saying that "These babies are starting behind the starting line. ... And their opportunities as they move into adulthood are jeopardized".

Aug. 18

According to a Pew Research Center report, the revenue-expenditure gap in Social Security fund in the United States was projected to be around $84 billion. It was forecast that Social Security's combined reserves likely would be fully depleted by 2034. The disability-insurance trust fund could run dry as soon as the end of 2016, while the old-age and survivors' fund was expected to be depleted in 2035.

Aug. 23

The United States was reported to have the worst medical care system and the highest number of infant mortalities out of 11 developed countries and it ranked second to last in preventable deaths, said a report published on the Borgen Project website.

Aug. 24

The ABC news website reported that a survey found that one in five drug abusers in some treatment programs in the United States received their first taste of these illegal substances from their parents, usually before the age of 18, and of these 6 percent even used heroin with them.

Aug. 26

A reporter and a photographer of the local CBS television station in Virginia were shot and killed while filming a morning live television report. A manifesto sent to ABC News by the killer revealed that he was motivated by an African-American church shooting in June, 2015 in South Carolina that was conducted by a white man.