Death of a Moroccan after a Taser: Spain torn by controversy

The controversy moved to the legal arena on Wednesday. The Unified Police Union filed a complaint against Ione Belarra following her comments on social media. The Secretary General of Podemos had compared the Moroccan’s death to domestic violence, demanding the immediate cessation of "racist police violence". In response, the Jupol union supports the officers involved, describing a suspect who would have shouted "Allah is great" while brandishing scissors, a version firmly contested by the victim’s entourage.

Beyond the political confrontation, the investigation is focusing on the use of the stun gun. The usage protocol is being questioned: the manufacturer Axon formally advises against its use on agitated persons, an argument nevertheless put forward by the police to justify their shots. Moreover, the General Directorate of Police restricts the use of the Taser to cases of "extreme necessity". The relatives of Haitam, supported by several collectives, are demanding the viewing of surveillance cameras, claiming that the man did not suffer from any heart disease and that the initial incident was a simple misunderstanding about a phone charger.

The facts date back to last Sunday in an internet cafe in Torremolinos, in the south of the country. Alerted for a suspected theft attempt, eight officers tried to restrain this 35-year-old man. To handcuff him, they used two Taser guns, administering three 1,200-volt shocks. A video posted online shows the intervention and hears the cries of the detainee before he succumbs to a heart attack. This death brings to five the number of racialized people who have died during police interventions in Spain over the past year.