Aborigines comprise just three percent of Australia's population but make up 27 percent of those in prison and represent 94 percent of the Northern Territory's juvenile inmates. The Northern Territory's corrections minister was sacked on Tuesday, just hours after the broadcast. The use of hoods, restraints and teargas on Australian aboriginal children in youth detention centers by police, as shown in footage released this week, could violate the U.N. treaty barring torture, a top U.N. official said on Thursday. The case highlights concern about the disproportionate numbers of aboriginal youth in custody, with indigenous leaders calling for politicians to deal with the wider issue of the treatment of Aborigines in Australia. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, told Australia's Radio National on Thursday that the video suggested that torture may have taken place and welcomed the inquiry but warned against limiting its scope.

Source: Thanhnien News July 28, 2016 01:41 UTC