Rabat – Around the world, people of color and minority groups are being suffocated — literally — by systems that have selectively chosen which lives have worth.
More than 5,300 people have signed a petition to demand that Spanish courts reopen the file of Iliass Tahiri, an 18-year-old Moroccan boy who died in the custody of Spanish juvenile detention center officials on July 1, 2019.
The petition seeks to uncover the “crime buried under the shadow of racism” after new evidence of Iliass’ death surfaced that reveals shocking details covered up by officials involved in his restraint.
New video footage has emerged, affirming that six detention center officials suffocated Iliass by tying him, already handcuffed, to a bed and strapping him face-down until he could no longer breathe.
The demand for further investigation and justice comes nearly one year after the court ruled that Iliass died an “accidental sudden death” due to his “violent resistance” against security guards’ attempts to restrain him.
Despite no apparent signs of restraint, a guard is seen pressing his knee on Iliass’ neck for several minutes while other officials silently stand by.
Not only did the officials violate the protocols of Spain’s Association for the Management of Social Integration, according to the latest evidence, but their report of Iliass’ death contains a number of apparent fabricated claims.
Illiass — motionless and without a pulse — clearly could not breathe.
“I can’t breathe,” were some of the last words of George Floyd, a Black American who was killed by police on May 25, sparking worldwide outrage over the systemic racism and brutality embedded in the US criminal justice system.
Iliass’ family has drawn troubling parallels between Floyd and Iliass’s deaths — both under the knee of officials charged with protecting them.
While the world is feeling more empowered than ever to call out the brutality and injustices long dismissed within systems meant to serve and protect, the pressure is building on Spain to address the disturbing new evidence found, indicating Iliass’ death could be ruled a homicide.
