Ebun Joseph has called for an urgent independent investigation into the death of Yves Sakila, a Congolese man in his mid-30s who died in Dublin last Friday after being restrained by security guards and later taken to the Mater hospital.
In a letter to the Minister for Justice on Thursday morning, Joseph said she was in profound shock and grave concern about the circumstances of Sakila's death. She said the case must be examined in a manner that is demonstrably independent, transparent, impartial, and thorough.
Sakila was suspected of shoplifting from Arnotts and was pursued by security personnel on Henry Street shortly after 5pm last Friday. During the pursuit, he knocked an elderly man in his 80s to the ground, leaving the pensioner injured. When gardaí arrived, Sakila had already been held on the ground for a period by a group of security guards, with the injured man lying a few metres away.
Gardaí handcuffed Sakila in an apparent effort to bring the scene under control and help the injured pensioner. They removed the handcuffs and began CPR almost immediately after realising he was unwell. Sakila was then taken to the Mater hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Video footage of the first part of the incident has been circulating on messaging apps. It shows a group of men holding Sakila face down on the pedestrianised street, with at least some of them identified as security personnel.
The Garda is already investigating the events on Henry Street, and Sakila's death has also been referred by Garda Headquarters to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, which examines incidents where a person is seriously injured or dies around the time they have contact or dealings with members of the Garda.
Joseph said the case raises questions about the State's commitments under the National Action Plan Against Racism, and wider concerns about racial profiling, excessive use of force, unequal treatment, and over-policing in public spaces have followed the death. She said the response must leave Sakila's family and the public with confidence that the facts are being examined fully and fairly.
The death is now being considered on two tracks at once: by the Garda and by Fiosrú. What happens next will shape not only the findings in Sakila's case, but the confidence people place in how such incidents are investigated in Ireland.
