UN Human Rights Committee Calls for Moratorium on Life Without Parole in U.S.

We are thrilled to share that in response to our coalition’s testimony in Geneva, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has recommended the U.S. establish a moratorium on all Life Without Parole sentences. For the first time, they emphasized the importance of parole eligibility for all incarcerated individuals, regardless of their age or the crime they committed. The committee further expressed concern that persons of African descent are disproportionately subject to death-by-incarceration sentences in the U.S.

There is a long history of activists and organizers leveraging the UN to pressure the U.S. to move toward the systemic changes we need, and this recommendation is an important part of that strategy. The United States is obligated to abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which is one of only three international human rights treaties the country has ratified. While the recommendation won’t bring about immediate changes to our laws, it will influence future legislation and court rulings, much like the Human Rights Committee’s previous recommendation that the U.S. abolish death-by-incarceration sentences for all juveniles played an important role in the Supreme Court’s ruling that made mandatory LWOP for children unconstitutional. 

Read more about this big win in the movement to end Death By Incarceration here.