In Remembrance: Honouring Lives Lost to Police Custody in Europe
We remember and honor the lives stolen by police violence across Germany, France, the UK, and wider Europe. From Rooble Warsame to Oury Jalloh, Adama Traoré to Christopher Alder, thousands have died in police custody—victims of institutional racism, brutality, and state impunity. These are not isolated tragedies but systemic injustices, exposing the deep-rooted oppression within European policing. Between 2020 and 2022, 13 EU countries, including Spain, France and Germany recorded at least 488 deaths in custody or in police operations according to Civio – an independent non profit organisation investigating the public sector and governance.
Each name represents a life unjustly taken, a family left in mourning, and a fight for justice that continues. We stand in solidarity with their families, demanding truth, accountability, and an end to the unchecked violence that disproportionately targets Black people, migrants, and marginalised communities. Justice for the fallen is justice for the living—because no life should be lost to state violence.
Names of Those We Remember
Germany
• Rooble Warsame
• Oury Jalloh
• Ibrahim Barry (2024)
• Christy Schwundeck
• William Tonou-Mbobda
• Amad Ahmad
• Ndeye Marieme Sarr
• Baye Moussa Dramé
• Achidi John
• Kola Bankole
• Dominique Koumadio
• Laye-Alama Condé
France
• Adama Traoré
• Wissam El-Yamni
• Lamine Dieng
• Babacar Gueye
• Ibrahima Bah
• Gaye Camara
• Mohamed Gabsi
• Amine Bentounsi
• Angelo Garand
• Ali Ziri
• Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré
United Kingdom
• Christopher Alder
• Edson Da Costa
• Sean Rigg
• Sheku Bayoh
• Kingsley Burrell
• Rashan Charles
• Mark Duggan
• Brian Douglas
• Joy Gardner
• Leon Briggs
• Darren Cumberbatch
• Kevin Clarke
• Mohamud Hassan
• Mikey Powell
Wider Europe
• Ibrahim Ali (Belgium)
• Mehdi Bouda (Belgium)
• Sanda Dia (Belgium)
• Nikolas S. (Greece)
• Jim Jimenez (Spain)
• Mawda Shawri (Belgium)
• Mike Ben Peter (Switzerland)
• Yassir Bouhout (Belgium)
• Kupa Ilunga (Netherlands)
• Jozef Chovanec (Belgium)
(And many more who remain unnamed, but not forgotten.)
This page stands as a permanent remembrance and a call to action. We demand justice. We demand accountability. We will not forget. No justice, no peace.
Resources:
https://www.europeandatajournalism.eu/deaths-in-custody-and-police-operations-2024
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sociology/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1231774/full
https://rassismusbericht.de/wp-content/uploads/Bruce-Jones-German-Policing.pdf