Ebun Joseph Seeks Urgent Inquiry Into Yves Sakila Death — Man Dies After Being Restrained By Guards
Ebun Joseph has asked for an urgent independent investigation into the death of Yves Sakila in Dublin after the man dies after being restrained by guards on Henry Street last Friday. Joseph, the special rapporteur on racism and equality, sent her request to the Minister for Justice on Thursday morning.
Joseph said the circumstances caused her “profound shock and grave concern,” and said the inquiry should be carried out in “a manner that is demonstrably independent, transparent, impartial, and thorough.” Sakila was a Congolese man in his mid-30s who died after being taken to the Mater hospital.
Henry Street and the Mater hospital
Last Friday shortly after 5pm, Sakila was suspected of shoplifting from Arnotts and was pursued by security personnel on Henry Street. He knocked an elderly man in his 80s to the ground as he fled, leaving the pensioner injured, and the older man was also on the ground a few metres away when gardaí arrived.
By the time gardaí reached the scene, Sakila had been held on the ground by a group of security guards for a period. Gardaí handcuffed him in an apparent bid to get control of the situation and attend to the injured pensioner, then removed the handcuffs and began CPR almost immediately after they realised Sakila was unwell. Sakila was later pronounced dead at the Mater hospital.
Fiosrú and Garda inquiries
The Garda is carrying out an investigation into the events on Henry Street, and Garda Headquarters has also referred Sakila’s death to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman. Fiosrú examines incidents where a person is seriously injured or dies at or around the time they have had contact or dealings with members of the Garda.
Video footage of the first part of the incident has been circulating on messaging apps. The footage shows a group of men restraining Sakila face down on the pedestrianised street, and at least some of the men in the footage are security personnel. Joseph said that footage has caused “significant distress, fear, and outrage” across many communities, particularly among black and minority ethnic communities.
Questions for the Justice Minister
Joseph said the incident raises important questions about the State’s commitments under the National Action Plan Against Racism. Her letter places those questions before the Minister for Justice while the Garda and Fiosrú separate the scrutiny of the response on Henry Street from the wider public concern now surrounding Sakila’s death.
The next step already under way is the investigation itself, with Garda Headquarters and Fiosrú both involved in reviewing what happened before Sakila died in Dublin.
