Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Racism and Racial Equality has called for a “full, transparent, independent and timely” investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Yves Sakila, the Congolese man (35) who died last week on Dublin’s Henry Street.Ebun Joseph wrote to the Minister for Justice, the Garda Commissioner and the executive director of Garda watchdog Fiosrú to express concern about the incident.“The footage that has emerged has caused profound distress, fear, and outrage across many communities, particularly among Black and minority ethnic communities who already experience heightened anxiety regarding racial profiling, excessive force, unequal treatment, and over-policing in public spaces,” she said in a statement. Acknowledging the Garda and Fiosrú investigations, she added: “Public confidence cannot be restored through silence, minimisation, or procedural formality alone. It can only be restored through visible accountability, transparency, fairness, and a clear demonstration that every human life is afforded equal dignity and protection under the law.”Earlier, it emerged that the family of Sakila have still not been told the cause of his death, their solicitor has claimed. The Congolese man, who had lived in Ireland for several decades, died after being restrained by security guards outside Arnotts in Dublin last Friday evening. He had been suspected of shoplifting from the shop.When gardaí arrived on the scene, Sakila had been held on the ground by a group of security guards for a period. Gardaí later restrained the man and then realised that he was unwell. They performed CPR on him and took him to the Mater hospital where he was later pronounced dead.Why videos of Yves Sakila’s last moments on Dublin street are key to Garda investigation Listen | 17:48John Gerard Cullen, who is representing the Sakila family, said he had been told that a coroner’s or a pathologist’s report was carried out last Saturday. Ordinarily, the results of that preliminary report should be made available to the family within 24 hours, he added. “There has been no such information. We don’t know about the cause of death,” he said. “He was homeless, he had certain drug issues, and it seems that he suffered a loss of life about a bottle of perfume or something like that which does not ordinarily attract the capital penalty. [ Special rapporteur on racism calls for ‘urgent, independent’ investigation into Yves Sakila’s deathOpens in new window ]“I know there have been rumours about the cause of death, but we have got no concrete information in relation to that very critical medical examination which will, of course, determine the intensity of any further police inquiry.“There seems to have been an extraordinarily disproportionate use of violence. And what we are looking for is just and a proper forensic inquiry into this case.” Emer O’Neill joined hundreds of people who rallied in front of the Dáil, calling for justice for Sakila, on Thursday. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni He said the apparent withholding of information about Sakila’s death was “disquieting” and potentially a breach of the Victims of Crime Act. Cullen went on to say that the family were told “some sort of a vague story” that Sakila died 20 minutes after the whole event. “That would mean he would have been in Garda custody.” Cullen also said that members of the family were asked to provide DNA samples, but not given any reason why they should do that. He confirmed that Sakila has been living in Ireland since 2004 and his mother has been in Ireland since 1999. He has half-brothers and half-sisters in Ireland. Cullen said they have not gone public on their loss yet. An Garda Síochána said the results of the postmortem has been completed by the Office of the State Pathologist, but are not being released for operational reasons.People attended a vigil for Yves Sakila on Henry Street, Dublin earlier this week. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Gardaí has appealed for any witnesses who were on Henry Street during the period 5pm until 5.25pm on Friday, May 15th, 2026.Gardaí said a senior investigative officer has been appointed to lead the investigation by the Serious Crime Unit in Store Street. An incident room has been established.Meanwhile, several hundred people attended a rally outside the gates of Leinster House on Merrion Square to protest at Sakila’s death. Black Coalition Ireland spokeswoman Cllr Yemi Adenuga said the protesters have five demands. They included: a proper transparent investigation into his death, racial training for all gardaí, legislation against excessive force in civilian detention, an end to the “demonising rhetoric” used by politicians or would-be politicians against ethnic communities, and equal treatment for all communities not just on paper but in practice. “Today we are not asking. We are demanding this because our lives matter. It would be sad to see this happen again on the streets of Dublin,” said Adenuga, who became the first black female representative in Ireland when she was elected in 2019 as a Fine Gael councillor in Co Meath. “When we lose our humanity as a nation, and begin to believe it’s okay to strip people of their dignity. We are building a future for our children, which they will not thank us for.”