Belgian police officers were possibly partly to blame for the death of a young Belgian-African man who died after suffering a heart attack in police custody, and might have failed to provide him necessary assistance, Alexis Deswaef, the victim's family lawyer, said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2021) Belgian police officers were possibly partly to blame for the death of a young Belgian-African man who died after suffering a heart attack in police custody, and might have failed to provide him necessary assistance, Alexis Deswaef, the victim's family lawyer, said.
Ibrahim Barrie, a 23-years-old Belgian of African descent, died after having a heart attack in police custody in Brussels on January 9. He was taken to a police station for questioning reportedly for breaking social distancing norms. The man tried to escape, but was apprehended. The authorities have since launched a probe into his death.
"The family was told that the autopsy revealed a cardiac abnormality and that he had a heart attack, but it was also learned that it was written in the autopsy report that the cardiac abnormality alone cannot explain the cause of death," Deswaef said, as cited by the Belga news agency on Wednesday.
The lawyer explained that he blamed the police officers for leaving the young man lying on the ground for 5-7 minutes after he fell unconscious while in custody. The victim was later hospitalized and subsequently passed away.�
Deswaef rejected a theory that drugs were behind the Barrie's cardiac arrest, as the toxicological examination of the victim's body did not detect any traces of narcotic substances.
The lawyer also said that, according to the first video surveillance materials, the victim was not subjected to violence from the officers, while the bruises that his family saw on the victim's body in the morgue were likely caused by the autopsy performed on him.
Dozens of people were detained on Wednesday evening in the Belgian capital after a rally over the death of Barrie in police custody. The rally was authorized, but later turned violent, as some protesters provoked clashes with police officers.
