PRESS RELEASE – 5TH JUNE – SHEKU BAYOH PUBLIC INQUIRY – STUC CALLS FOR VIGIL OUTSIDE THE INQUIRY ON THURSDAY 6TH JUNE AS IT EXAMINES THE ROLE OF RACE IN SHEKU’S DEATH IN CUSTODY.
Statement by Aamer Anwar- Solicitor on behalf of the Bayoh Family-
“The Sheku Bayoh family placed their faith in the Crown Office to fearlessly investigate the death in custody of Sheku. His family had the right to expect there would be a robust, transparent and impartial investigation. It’s all very well for former Lord Advocate James Wolffe KC, like other senior lawyers & investigators now plead ‘with the benefit of hindsight’,
Yet on Mr. Wolffe’s watch, his Crown Office is accused of cynically manipulating events, abusing the human rights of the Sheku’s family and obstructing their search for truth. As the critical chapter examining the role of race in Sheku’s death began this week, the Bayoh family after two years of evidence feel vindicated, they always knew the Crown and PIRC failed to investigate race, ignored evidence of racism, presented the wrong facts and then failed to prosecute.
The Bayoh family hold the Crown Office ultimately responsible for the betrayal of justice and presiding over a culture of incompetence, denial, secrecy, bias and institutional racism. The failure to investigate racism was described as a ‘missed opportunity’, but it was much more, it was deliberate, cynical and deja vu on an industrial scale.
The police painted an image of a dangerous large black man, stereotypical characteristics of extraordinary strength, describing him as the biggest male they have ever seen, bulging eyes, muscles, with false claims of wielding a machete, describing him as a zombie- this is nothing new when black men die in police custody. They are dehumanised, smeared, stereotyped in order to strip them of their right to life.
Although Sheku was unarmed, his family believe his skin colour was treated as a weapon and that his colour an excuse for his being met with overwhelming force. How many black people have to die, how many more grieving families must set up campaigns to simply get to the truth. Nine years after the death of Sheku, and 25 years after the murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar it appears that little lessons have been learned or acted upon by an unaccountable and racist institution.
In May, Kadi Johnson the sister of Sheku made a public appeal to Scottish artists, musicians, and writers to support the STUC’s vigil on Thursday 6th June outside the inquiry from 8.30am onwards. A number of artists, musicians and writers have supported calls for a vigil outside the Sheku Bayoh including the likes of comedian Frankie Boyle, writers Val McDermid, Sarah Sheridan, Brownbear-band and award-winning Screenwriter Paul Laverty.
