March for teenager who died in drug bust

Several hundred people took part in a peaceful march on Sunday afternoon in Legionowo, central Poland, in memory of a teenager who choked to death on a bag of drugs following a police action.

The march, which was led by the family of Rafał E. (full name withheld under Polish privacy laws), followed a series of riots and arrests in the town in connection with the death.

The 19-year-old died in hospital on 9 March, after police tried to question him on the street.

The teenager had allegedly panicked when police approached him, and he swallowed a bag of marijuana. Police tried to resuscitate him on the spot when he collapsed, but failed.

Family members insinuated that the death was not accidental, and that police should be held culpable.
However, an autopsy appeared to confirm that the 19-year-old died after a bag of marijuana became trapped in his trachea. There were no traces of physical abuse.

During Sunday’s March, the dead teenager’s family encouraged locals to sign a petition calling for the policemen involved in the incident to be suspended from their duties.