Brussels (Brussels Morning) – The Brussels criminal court has convicted three police officers in the aftermath of the death of Ibrahima Barrie. He died in early 2021 of heart failure at a police station after an administrative arrest. “The family can finally start to process his death,” their lawyer said.
How did Ibrahima Barrie die in police custody?
23-year-old Ibrahima Barrie was arrested on January 9, 2021, near Brussels North Station, where the police were acting against transmigrants. The man from Sint-Joost-ten-Noode filmed the entire event but ran away when the police wanted to interpellate him. He was arrested after a short chase and taken to the local police station, where he was searched.
However, the man became unwell and died after resuscitation in hospital. Camera images show how the victim knelt several times during the search, but was each time put upright by the police officers involved. After the check, Barrie was placed on a chair, where he slipped and then remained in an unnatural position for several minutes. With his hands cuffed behind his back and his head leaned against a wall, he lay stretched out on the floor of the police station.
The lawyer for Ibrahima Barrie’s family had asked the court to convict the police officers involved of involuntary manslaughter with the aggravating motive of racism.
How did the court assess the cause of Barrie’s death?
In a very extensive and reasoned judgment, the court dismissed the plea of lawyer Alexis Deswaef. “The fact that those involved have a different skin colour than the victim does not imply racism,” it said. “There is no racist behaviour or actions by the police officers.”
According to the court, it cannot be stated with certainty that the errors made by three of the four defendants have a causal link with the death of Inbrahima Barrie, who had an undetected heart defect. “We cannot say with certainty that he would not have died if he had not been arrested or if he had not received help more quickly,” the judge said.
What were the legal outcomes for the involved police officers?
One of the four police inspectors who stood trial at the trial was acquitted across the board. His colleague from the local police zone Brussels-North was sentenced to 1 month in prison with a suspension for assault and battery. After the search, he had forcefully pushed Ibrahima Barrie into his chair when he leaned forward. “The victim was not violent at any time,” the judge said. “The defendant violently pushed Ibrahima Barrie without legitimate motive.”
Two members of the federal police who were seconded to the Brussels North zone (Schaerbeek, Evere and Sint-Joost-ten-Noode) were given a 7-month suspended prison sentence for culpable negligence. The two were alone with Barrie in the search room for several minutes and, according to the court, they should have intervened more quickly. “When the detainee arrived, there were no signs of health problems,” the judgment reads. “However, his condition deteriorated rapidly and when drugs were found in his personal belongings, they should have realized that he might not be doing comedy. They then failed to check his condition.”
How did the family’s lawyer react to the court’s verdict?
Alexis Deswaef, the lawyer for Ibrahima Barrie’s family, reacts satisfied with the verdict. “The Brussels public prosecutor’s office has requested a total acquittal in this case, as it always does,” it said. “But the court has found several errors on the part of the police officers involved. It is time for the public prosecutor’s office to stop playing police advocate. The defendants have indeed been acquitted of unintentional manslaughter, but that is only because there is doubt.”
The criminal lawyer is considering dropping the case and not appealing the verdict. “I have to study the verdict with the family first, but it is an interesting verdict that may allow the family to move forward and finally come to terms with Ibrahima’s death.”
