Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Racism and Racial Equality has called for an Independent investigation into the death of Yves Sakila.
Dr Ebun Joseph says she has written to the Minister for Justice, the Garda Commissioner, and the Executive Director of Fiosrú, expressing profound concern regarding the circumstances surrounding Mr Sakila’s death in Dublin last week.
Gardaí were alerted on Friday afternoon after security personnel detained Mr Sakila in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident. During the incident, a man in his 80s was injured as the suspect attempted to flee the scene.
The Irish Network Against Racism described a video of the incident, which shows Mr Sakila being held on the ground for almost five minutes as “very disturbing”.
It said he is heard shouting in distress as he is being detained but by the end of the video he appears to be motionless. The 35-year-old man was later pronounced dead at the Mater Hospital.
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In a statement, Dr Joseph said the footage has “caused profound distress, fear, and outrage across many communities, particularly among black and minority ethnic communities who already experience heightened anxiety regarding racial profiling, excessive force, unequal treatment, and over-policing in public spaces.
“The scenes depicted are deeply disturbing and raise urgent and serious questions which require comprehensive examination,” she added.
The Special Rapporteur said any investigation must be independent, impartial, transparent, and thorough and expressed concerns about the normalisation of hostility toward migrants, black communities, and minority ethnic groups within public discourse and wider society.
“This incident does not exist in isolation. It emerges within a broader social and political climate in which increasingly hostile rhetoric surrounding migrants, refugees, racialised minorities, and black communities has become more visible and, at times, normalised within public discourse,” she said
“Such rhetoric contributes to the dehumanisation of vulnerable communities and risks creating an environment in which violence, suspicion, and unequal treatment become more socially tolerated.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has said it has taken steps to ensure that an independent investigation in to the death of Mr Sakila is carried out in Ireland.
In a statement posted on X, it said it is following the case “with deep emotion and serious concern” and that its embassy has been closely monitoring the case.
The ministry said it has taken diplomatic and consular steps to establish the exact circumstances of Mr Sakila’s deaths and to ensure that an “indepedent, transparent and diligent investigation is conducted”.
It said that the Minister Delegate also said it is aware of the reaction the case has provoked among the public and human rights organisations. However it appealed for calm to allow the investigations to proceed.
A demonstration was held earlier today outside Government buildings in response to Mr Sakila’s death.
Activist Emer O’Neill addressed the crowd and sung a song in Irish in his memory.
The rally was attended by a number of groups and members of the Congolese Community who shouted “Justice for Yves and dignity for all”.
Leon Diop from the Black and Irish group also paid tribute to the man in his 80s who was injured in the incident and called on the crowd to use this moment to “build a better Ireland for everyone”.
A demonstration was held outside Government buildings in response to Yves Sakila’s death
Earlier Black Coalition Ireland called for more answers about Mr Sakila’s death
It said political discourse has fuelled a climate of hostility towards migrants, asylum seekers and communities of colour in Ireland.
Meath-based Fine Gael Councillor Yemi Adenuga, who is also a spokesperson for the coalition, called for a full and transparent investigation into Mr Sakila’s death and said politicians must be held to account for the language they use.
“In 2024 there were 4,800 shoplifting incidents in Ireland. Not one of those people lost their lives before reaching a garda station,” she said.
“So today we ask the question, why did Yves have to die?”
She added: “When we have political leaders who fuel a climate of hostility towards migrants, asylum seekers, and communities of colour, when they use their influence intentionally or otherwise to stoke fear and hatred for the purpose of gaining a vote … the result is a society that believes that certain people don’t belong, and so must be removed.
“We cannot then be surprised when people are treated as though their lives matter less. Words have consequences, rhetoric have consequences. Yves Sakila may have suffered those consequences.”
Ms Adenuga said the group was seeking justice for Mr Sakila.
John Gerard Cullen, a solicitor for the Sakila family, said Mr Sakila had lived in Ireland since 2004 and his family still live in the country.
He said he had been homeless and had issues with drug addiction, but the loss of his life over what he said was the alleged theft of a bottle of perfume appears disproportionate.
He said he has concerns about the amount of information the family are receiving from gardaí, describing it as “sketchy”, adding that the results of the post-mortem examination have not yet been made available to them.
Yves Sakila was restrained by security personnel outside Arnotts on Henry Street in Dublin
In a renewed witness appeal, gardaí have said that the results were not being made available for operational reasons.
They also said they had recovered footage from CCTV and social media of the incident and were now looking to speak with anyone who was on Henry Street between Moore Street and Coles Lane between 5pm and 5.25pm on Friday 15 May.
A Senior Investigative Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation by the Serious Crime Unit in Store Street, and an incident room has been set up at Store Street Garda Station.
A Family Liaison Officer has also been appointed to Mr Sakila’s family.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Store Street Garda Station on 01 666 8000, the Garda Confidential Line, or any garda station.
Mr Cullen questioned why members of the family were asked to provide DNA samples as part of the investigation and said he wants to ensure the “disproportionate use of violence is investigated and is dealt with in accordance with the rule of law”.
Director of the Irish Network Against Racism Shane O’Curry said Mr Sakila’s death happened in the context of increasing hostility towards migrants.
“We have to look at the context of a growing anti-migrant movement and a growing context of hatred and unfettered hostility towards migrants and minority people in Ireland, enabled by comments and poor leadership from from political figures,” he said.
“We also have poor leadership in relation to the implementation of the national action plan against racism, which has provision for protecting people from acts of violence because of who they are.
“All of these things are enabling of the far right and the dehumanizing discourse that is increasingly normalised. What we’re calling for is leadership – leadership from the Government, from the Taoiseach, from the Minister for Justice, from An Garda Síochána and from Fiosrú in their investigations into all the circumstances of the death of Yves Sakila.”
The CEO of GORM, an organisation that promotes unity and belonging through intercultural media and education, said she believes social cohesion is fragile.
“We have to be able to name two truths at the same time,” said Dr Mamobo Ogoro.
“The first truth is that racism exists in Ireland. Black and ethnic minority communities have long faced concerns about stereotyping, racial profiling, disproportionate scrutiny and unequal treatment. We cannot build trust if these concerns are continuously minimised or diminished.
Yves Salika had lived in Ireland since he was a teenager
“The second truth is that fear and uncertainty also exist more broadly within Irish society during periods of rapid change. If those fears are not engaged with honestly, responsibly, and compassionately, they can be exploited by division, misinformation, and hostility.
“This is why intercultural communication is so vital right now. We cannot build cohesion by demonising migrant and ethnic minority communities. We cannot build trust by treating all local voices as hateful, and equally, we cannot build trust by ignoring racism when it emerges.”
A spokesperson for the Congolese Community in Ireland said the incident has caused deep distress within the Congolese community here.
Lisette Lubungu said young people in particular are “deeply distressed”.
“Especially our young people who are born and raised here, who call Ireland home, who, for the majority of them, don’t know any other country but here Ireland,” she said.
“However, the situation has exposed a painful truth – that our acceptance here is conditional. We feel welcome when we are winning medals, when everything is going well, but the moment the crisis arrives, that illusion of safety is quickly shattered and vanished.
“Suddenly we are met with suspicion, silence, and indifference. Our sense of belonging and identity is being shattered by the climate of hostility that has been created deep inside.”