Mouayed Bashir's brother says it is like 'torture' waiting for answers about his death

The brother of 29-year-old Mouayed Bashir who died after being restrained by police at his family home in Newport addressed hundreds of people at an anti-racism march amid a prolonged wait for answers.Mohannad Bashir and his family have been waiting for more than a year to hear the truth about what happened to Mouayed.

Mouayed Bashir died on February 17, 2021. His family say he was suffering from a mental health episode at their Newport home when they called 999 for an ambulance.

But police attended the incident first.

Mouayed was not arrested but police put him in handcuffs and leg restraints.

The police watchdog, the IOPC said: "During their interaction with Mr Bashir his condition was noted to deteriorate." 

Mouayed died in hospital a few hours later.

Yesterday (Sunday 20 March), Mohannad joined hundreds of campaigners in a march against racism through Cardiff. He said his brother had attended a similar event after the murder of George Floyd.

Mohannad said: "I do remember when the footage of what happened to George Floyd was going everywhere, he basically said to the rest of the family, 'we're so lucky this never happens here in the UK'.More than a year on from his death - Mouayed's family said they are still no closer to finding out what happened and Mohannad said he has been left fearing for his own safety.

"Ever since how they treated my brother and my family, and of course being under the spotlight now, to be honest with you I don't feel safe whatsoever. It's the same thing with my younger brother," explained Mohannad.

But he says events like the anti-racism march offer a glimmer of hope, as the family continue their wait for answers.

Watch the video report by Katie Fenton:

Reminiscing about growing up with his brother, Mohannad told ITV Wales: "I always kind of paint a picture where we're basically like Tom and Jerry. That was our favourite cartoon back then.

"Basically Mouayed was my best friend, 'cause there was only a three year gap between us, and looking at the family photos he was the cutest baby out of all of us. He was funny, cheeky, always gets me in trouble.

"We used to play fight a lot, but that's what brothers do."

Gwent Police's Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said: “Since the sad death of Mouayed Bashir, we’ve co-operated with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in a transparent manner to support their investigation.

“Several members of Mr Bashir’s family have viewed the body-worn footage, as agreed by the coroner and the IOPC.

“We hope that this has provided a better understanding of events and addresses some of the concerns that they’ve raised with the IOPC.

“While the investigation continues, we’re unable to comment further."

The IOPC said its independent investigation into Mr Bashir’s death is near conclusion.

The coroner's office said the inquest will be taking place in July.