“The sentence is not based on emotion or sympathy,” said Judge Peter
Cahill, handing down the term at a Minneapolis court after prosecutors
sought a 30-year sentence.
Minneapolis, United States: Former policeman Derek Chauvin was sentenced to
22 and a half years in prison on Friday for the murder of African American
George Floyd, the killing that sparked America’s biggest demonstrations for
racial justice in decades.
The white, 45-year-old Chauvin gave his “condolences” to the Floyd family
in a Minneapolis court, without apologizing, before Judge Peter Cahill
handed down a lesser sentence than the 30 years the prosecution had
sought.
“This (jail term) is based on your abuse of a position of trust and
authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd,” Cahill
told Chauvin, who listened impassively.
The decision was read out at the end of a tense hearing in which the court
watched a recorded message by Floyd’s seven-year-old daughter and heard from
Chauvin’s mother.
అమెరికాలో జార్జ్ ఫ్లాయిడ్ హ‌త్య ఎంత‌టి సంచ‌ల‌నం సృష్టించిందో చెప్పాల్సిన
అవ‌స‌రం లేదు. బ్లాక్ లైవ్ మ్యాట‌ర్ అనే ఉద్యమానికి దారి తీసింది.
వ‌ర్ణ వివ‌క్ష‌ను నిర‌సిస్తూ ఆ దేశంలో పెద్ద ఎత్తున ప్ర‌జ‌లు రోడ్ల‌మీద‌కు
వ‌చ్చారు. జార్జ్ ఫ్లాయిడ్ మ‌ర‌ణానికి కార‌ణ‌మైన పోలీస్ అధికారుల‌ను
ఇప్ప‌టికే ఉద్యోగాల నుంచి తొలగించారు. కాగా వీరిపై కేసులు న‌మోదు
చేయ‌డంతో కోర్టు విచార‌ణ జ‌రిపింది.జార్జ్ ఫ్లాయిడ్ మ‌ర‌ణానికి కార‌ణ‌మైన పోలీసు అధికారి డెరిక్ చౌవిన్‌కు
మినియాపోలీస్ కోర్టు 22.5 సంవత్సరాల జైలు శిక్ష‌ను విధించింది. డెరిక్
స‌త్ప‌వ‌ర్త‌నతో ఉంటే 12 ఏళ్ల త‌రువాత పెరోల్ ఇవ్వొచ్చ‌ని కోర్టు
పేర్కొన్న‌ది. గ‌రిష్టంగా డెరిక్‌కు 12.5 సంవత్సరాల జైలు శిక్ష‌ను
విధించాల‌ని ప‌బ్లిక్ ప్రాసిక్యూట‌ర్ కోర్టుకు విన్న‌వించ‌గా, కోర్టు మాత్రం
డెరిక్‌కు 22.5 సంవత్సరాల జైలు శిక్ష‌ను విధించింది
The Floyd family’s lawyer called the sentencing a “historic” step towards
racial reconciliation in the United States.
“(It) brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by
delivering closure and accountability,” Ben Crump tweeted.
President Joe Biden said: “I don’t know all the circumstances that were
considered but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be
appropriate.”
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton said it sent “a message of
accountability,” despite being less than what the family wanted.
Chauvin, who has been behind bars since being convicted on three counts of
murder and manslaughter two months ago, wore a light gray suit as he learnt
his fate following a trial that captivated the world.
He spoke briefly, after declining to testify during his six-week
trial.
“I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family,” Chauvin said after
removing his face mask.
“At this time due to some additional legal matters at hand, I’m not able to
give a full formal statement at this time.”
“There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of
interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind,” he
added.
Before he spoke, Carolyn Pawlenty said her son, Chauvin, was a “good
man.”
“I have always believed in your innocence and I will never waver from
that,” she said.
Earlier, the court watched a moving video from the late Floyd’s daughter,
Gianna Floyd.
“I miss you and I love you,” the girl said when asked in the recorded
message what she said would say to her father today.
Chauvin and three colleagues arrested Floyd, 46, in May 2020 on suspicion
of having passed a fake $20 bill in a store in Minneapolis, a northern city
of around 420,000. They handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground in the
street.
Chauvin then knelt on the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes,
indifferent to the dying man’s groans and to the pleas of distraught
passers-by.
The scene, filmed and uploaded by a young woman, quickly went viral. After
weeks of home confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of
thousands of people poured onto streets across the country and overseas, to
demand an end to racism and police brutality.
It took weeks for the mass demonstrations to taper off, but the debate
around the pressing social issues remains vivid in the United States, where
Biden has been slow to come up with the police reforms he promised during
his campaign.
Minnesota law provides for a minimum sentence of 12.5 years but Floyd’s
brother, Terrence Floyd, his voice choking, told the court Cahill should
hand Chauvin the stiffest term possible.
‘Particular cruelty’
“Why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had
your knee on my brother’s neck?” demanded Floyd, urging Chauvin to explain
the reason for the murder.
Cahill said his sentence was “not based on emotion or sympathy,” but the
law, and in a 22-page sentencing memorandum identified aggravating
circumstances that brought a heavier punishment.
They included that Chauvin’s offense occurred in front of minors and that
he “committed the crime as a group with the active participation of at least
three other” officers.
Chauvin’s trial was closely followed across the country.
His lawyer said Chauvin had followed police procedures in force at the time
and that Floyd’s death was due to health problems exacerbated by drug
use.
The jurors took less than 10 hours to convict. Their decision was greeted
with a huge sigh of relief across the country. Many had feared an acquittal
would lead to worse unrest, while others worried that once again a white
police officer would get away with what they saw as murder.
With good behavior, Chauvin could serve just two-thirds of any prison
sentence, with the remaining third on supervised release.
The defense will appeal the verdict, Nelson has said, citing doubts over
the impartiality of some juror
How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody
