UK: Justice for Nuur Saeed and Paul Coker
01 January 2006
The Justice for Nuur Saeed Campaign held its second protest outside Plumstead police station in South London in March. Several hundred people attended the first demonstration in February and a similar number turned out in March. The Campaign called the actions "to protest at the silence surrounding the tragic and suspicious death of the 22-year old Somali man Nuur Saeed as a result of a police operation." The death occurred against a backdrop of rising harassment of the Somali community by Woolwich police because "two of the suspects allegedly involved in the shooting of WPC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford in November 2005 were two Somali men who have prior links to Woolwich". The Campaign has received many complaints of police harassment from local Somali youths in the Woolwich and Plumsted areas. The Campaign says that Muur died when police executed a search warrant at a house in Plumsted on 10 January 2006. The police say that he fell from a second floor balcony and that they found him on the pavement. He died in hospital from massive brain injury two weeks later.
Nuur's death follows the violent death of Paul Coker, who died in Plumsted police station after being arrested by 15 police officers, in August 2005. A demonstration and vigil was held outside the police station to commemorate him in September where Paul's mother prophetically told the vigil: "Paul died alone in pain, fear and anguish. Do not think that this cannot happen to your family; it can." She continued: "The state has obligations to protect the lives of all citizens. The duty of care is particularly important for those in custody. The state has betrayed many families and it has failed", (quoted in News Line 8.9.05).
The Nuur family and the Campaign are demanding that "the police officers involved in the action that led to Nuur's violent death be suspended" and that details of what happened are released to the family. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) should meet "the needs of a family who have lost a son and a brother".
The Campaign has made the following demands:
* a truly independent inquiry into the circumstances of Nuur's death
* no police or IPCC cover up
* that the police officers involved are suspended from duty
* that Woolwich police halt their racist vendetta against Somali youth
* an immediate and independent inquiry into the police vendetta
The Nuur Campaign email is: justicefornuurcampaign@googlemail.com