Volunteer human rights organization Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) stating that it is currently investigating the death of Natasha McKenna who died at the Fairfax County Jail on February 3, 2015.  Natasha McKenna was shocked four times with a 50,000 volt taser gun, while being restrained, which drove her into a cardiac arrest, and resulted in her death.  The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office police members were aware that Natasha McKenna had a history of mental illness.  R.E.A.L. has been reporting on this since February 2015, including a report on the video of her terrifying treatment, and report  after Fairfax prosecutor Raymond F. Morrogh decided not to press charges against the police involved in her death.

R.E.A.L. contacted the U.S. Department of Justice  and we contacted senior members of the United Nations involving human rights in the Americas.  We thank those who signed our petition on this human rights issue.   We thank the Justice Department for its reply  and R.E.A.L. will continue to monitor the Justice Department’s investigation on this matter.

 

The Constitution of the United States of America (Amendment Eight and Bill of Rights) forbids the infliction of  “cruel and unusual punishments.”

Our support for human rights must include our commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Article 5, which states that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 7, which states “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”  The United States of America is a signatory to both the UDHR and the ICCPR and should be held accountable for following international human rights covenants.  Its ratification of the ICCPR includes a specific support for the ICCPR Article 7 to be consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

The law is the law, for everyone, and for every nation, without exception, without qualification.

We urge our fellow Americans and fellow human beings to be RESPONSIBLE FOR EQUALITY AND LIBERTY — especially for those – who cannot speak for themselves.