By Mark S Redfern. Photo: A home made placard from the Justice for Mouayed march in Newport today. Photo courtesy BLM Cardiff & Vale
MOUAYED BASHIR, A 29-YEAR-OLD SUDANESE MAN FROM NEWPORT, DIED IN HOSPITAL AFTER COMING INTO CONTACT WITH POLICE DURING A RESPONSE CALL TO A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
PROTESTORS HAVE MARCHED TO NEWPORT CENTRAL POLICE STATION TODAY AS A SIGN OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE GRIEVING FAMILY AND CAMPAIGNERS AND OUTRAGE AT POLICE RACISM.
THE DEATH COMES JUST 6 WEEKS AFTER ANOTHER BLACK MAN, MOHAMUD HASSAN FROM CARDIFF, DIED AFTER BEING HELD IN CUSTODY BY SOUTH WALES POLICE AND RETURNING HOME WITH SEVERE INJURIES.
Angry protests on the streets of Newport has greeted the shocking news of the death of a young Black man, who died shortly after Gwent Police attended his address on Wednesday morning.
Mouayed Bashir, 29, died in hospital yesterday after contact with Gwent Police officers, who had restrained him in his bedroom, his brother has said.
Police were called to Maesglas Crescent in Newport at around 9am on 17 February responding to concerns for the welfare of Mouayed, of Sudanese descent, what the police has referred to as a “medical episode.”
The brief press statement made by the police says that an ambulance was called and Mouayed later died in hospital and little detail is given.
Mouayed’s brother, Mohamed Bashir, has shone a light on the situation with his account of what went on that morning in an online post.
By his account, the officers who showed up to the address were “hungry for a bit of action” and forced their way into Mouayed’s bedroom where they handcuffed him on the floor.
Mouayed, having recently suffered a stab wound to the thigh near a major artery, was in pain as he was restrained on the floor by Gwent Police officers.
According to the family source, cops on the scene were made aware of the not-yet-healed injury and said they had called for an ambulance which took “two hours” to arrive, during which time Mouayed’s father also called an ambulance. He was tragically pronounced dead at Grange Hospital in Cwmbran at around 11.40am.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) was notified shortly after the death and in their initial statement on the incident said Mouayed’s “condition was noted to deteriorate.”
They also continued: “We have established that by the time the ambulance had arrived a number of police vehicles and nine police officers had responded to the incident.”
Mohamed Bashir has said that the number of police present at the scene was higher than the IOPC total.
Mohamed spoke about his older brother today at a protest outside Newport Central Police Station: “My brother had the energy to take on the world, he would’ve beat Usain Bolt in a race put it that way.”
On his brother’s previous wound, he said: “His stab wound was through a main artery, he was lucky to survive that regardless. So if someone’s got an injury on his leg why the fuck are they tying him up?”
“And if you got handcuffs, why are you tying him up? This ain’t Guantanamo bay. He ain’t a terrorist. What you doing tying someone up?”
The IOPC have confirmed that handcuffs and leg restraints were used during Mouayed’s detainment, though he was not arrested at any point.
A large protest was held by the community in Pillgwenlly, Newport this afternoon. Protestors were furious with the nature of Mouayed’s death, and how an apparent call for help could end up with a loss of life. People held placards saying “Justice for Moyied [sic]” and “#HelpNot Kill”.
Mouayed is the son of Mamoun Bashir, who fled Sudan and endured a stressful asylum claim to escape the conflict in his home country and seek a better life, moving to Gwent in 2005.
Mamoun started working for the Cardiff-based charity Displaced People in Action shortly after arriving in Wales, dedicating his time to helping asylum seekers feel at home in Wales.
This is the second death of a young black man after police contact in Wales this year. In January, Mohamud Hassan died after an overnight stay in Cardiff Bay Police Station where he came into contact with 52 South Wales Police officers. Family witnesses say he returned from the station with serious injuries, and a cop is now under investigation over the death. Four days of protests followed the news, with demonstrators blaming South Wales Police for the death.
On the case of Mouayed Bashir, IOPC Director for Wales Catrin Evans said: “I offer my condolences to Mr Bashir’s family and friends, and to everyone affected by his tragic death. We have spoken to family members to explain our role and how the investigation will progress.
“It is appropriate in the circumstances of a death following police contact that we investigate what happened, and I would like to reassure people that we will do so thoroughly and independently.”
“We will be carefully examining the interaction police officers had with Mr Bashir and whether their actions were proportionate and reasonable in the circumstances.”
Gwent Police have been contacted for comment.
*an earlier version of this article gave an incorrect spelling of Mouayed Bashir. This has now been corrected.
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