“He was polite, gentle, and quiet. Life just went the wrong way for him.” 

The death of Yves Sakila in Dublin last week prompted widespread outrage after a video of him being restrained by security guards went viral, making international headlines. 

His grieving family didn’t attend the protests, however, and until yesterday, had not spoken to any media outlets.  

 The Irish Examiner’s Senior News Reporter Alison O’Reilly sat down with his adoptive mother Angel Issemezey Anzibi and his siblings to learn about the son and brother they describe as “gentle and smart”, able to fix anything and everything around the house.  

Although he was regularly in touch with his family and was kind and gentle with his younger siblings, Yves had left home as a teenager due to marital breakdown and mental health difficulties, and he had been on the streets for many years after leaving the foster care system.  

“All the time he came home,” Angel said. “He came for food. He came to see us. He helped around the house. He was always my child.” 

The family say his death has been hijacked by political interests, and they are not interested in political point scoring, but just want justice for Yves.  

Listen here: 

Read Alison’s interview with Angel and the family solicitor John Gerard Cullen here: Family of ‘gentle, smart’, Yves Sakila face agonizing wait for answers on his death 

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