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Demonstrators outside the Saint Paul courthouse
Photo: ERIC MILLER / REUTERS
The killing of African American George Floyd in a police operation in the United States was almost two years ago.
Now three ex-police officers involved have been convicted.
A jury found the men guilty of violating Floyd's constitutional civil rights in federal court in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
This was announced by the US Department of Justice on Thursday.
The ex-police officers were accused of not providing medical assistance.
Two of the men were also found guilty of failing to try to stop the violence.
All three face prison terms.
The death of African American Floyd on May 25, 2020 during a police operation in Minneapolis triggered demonstrations against racism and police violence in the United States.
Videos document how police officers pushed the unarmed man to the ground.
White officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for a good nine minutes while Floyd begged him to breathe.
His colleagues Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane did not intervene despite Chauvin's actions.
According to the autopsy, Floyd lost consciousness – and died.
At the end of April last year, a jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, among other things, in another trial.
A court in Minneapolis then sentenced him to 22 years and six months in prison.
A few months later, Chauvin pleaded guilty to the federal lawsuit against him, which faces an additional prison term.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the ruling recognized that the ex-cops broke the constitution.
More recently, three white men were convicted of hate crimes in the Ahmaud Arbery case.
The black man was killed while jogging in the state of Georgia.
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