with this article we like to mention the increasing number of people dieing in police custody. as we know, there are no consequences of the persons in charge - all over europe. one example is the killing of Seibane Wague on 15th of july 2003 in vienna.
the trail against 6 involved police officers (some of the involved police officers where only called as witnesses), 3 ambulance man and an emergency physician ended on 9th of november 2005.
there was also a video made of the brutal handling of Seibane Wague which was partly shown at austrian television a couple of days after his death.
divX avi, 19.9 MB:
www.streamload.com//SuperFloW/videos/20030722_video_shibane_wague_divX.avi
realvideo, 9.31 MB:
www.streamload.com//SuperFloW/videos/20030722_video_shibane_wague.rm
judge Gerhard Pohnert ruled that eight of the ten defendants were 'not guilty' as charged; that only two were 'guilty': one police officer and the ambulance physician: and then handed each a 7-month suspended prison sentence! but the problem was already with the indictment itself, as the article "The Dangerous Odds Against Black Africans In Austria" says:
"To accuse ten intelligent, professionally trained, white adults merely of 'manslaughter' in the death of a black African whose shackled (by them), inert, helpless body they brutalized to death even as they taunted him with racist slurs ('Filthy creature!', 'Swine!') is much revealing and terrifying. And it does not matter whether or not all of the accused actively participated in the brutalization. After all, the physician was found guilty on the grounds that he did nothing or not enough to save Mr. Wague's life.
The message of Judge Pohnert's ruling is clear though not surprising: In matters concerning black people in Austria law enforcement agents of the state are above the law and the system will always be there to back or rescue them. That a police officer was found guilty at all showed how overwhelming the evidence was against the police. Though clear, the message, however, is not surprising because events have been consistently illustrating it over the years."
more:
no-racism.net//article/1451
public statement of amnesty international on the trial:
web.amnesty.org//library/Index/ENGEUR130022005
a couple of days after the proclamation of sentence a demonstration with up to 800 participats took place in vienna.
pictures:
www.afrikanet.info//index.php
observiation protocols of the trial, statements and much more in german:
no-racism.net//rubrik/98
www.afrikanet.info//index.php
one other case is the death of a young detained african asylum seeker who started hunger strike on 28 sep 2005. he died on 04 oct 2005 in his cell in linz, austria. after his death, several protests took place. on 15 oct 2005 some 700 people marched in memoriam Yankuba Ceesay threw linz.
more information in german:
no-racism.net//rubrik/280
english article:
no-racism.net//article/1380
some pics from the demonstration:
www.afrikanet.info//index.php
remember also the deadly fire at the detention centre schipol near amsterdam, during which eleven foreigners lost their lives.
no-racism.net//article/1442
www.indymedia.org//en/2005/11/827311.shtml
u can find a documenation of people who died in police custody and during forced deportations (with some cases from several european countries, in german and english) at:
no-racism.net//racismkills