Death of Osmo Vallo 1995

[Triple7]

This is a well known case in Sweden. The policemen who killed Osmo Vallo are still free and nothing has been done to this case. This is very interesting, since we it is in Sweden and not a 3rd world country. I'd like to show you dear D-F members, how truth and facts can be distorted by all levels of modern society.

My explanation is simple. A person who is considered more of a strain to the society than a contribution to it, is not worth much.

Here is are the links where I got most of the story (in swedish):
http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmo_Vallo
http://www.yelah.net/articles/osmo

Osmo Vallo was a Finnish gypsy living in Sweden, born 1954, dead 30 maj 1995 in Karlstad.

Neighbors in a block at Basungatan near Kronopark in Karlstad called police about 11 pm may 30 1995. They neighbors had heard some quarrel and screaming for help. Two policemen arrived and went to Osmo Vallo who was drunk (and maybe influenced by drugs, (amphetamine?)). Witness have heard that Osmo Vallo asked the police "Why are you doing like this? May I see your ID?" then they tell that the police kicked Osmo in the back, even when Osmo appeared calm and had not showed any form of danger or aggression. Witness tellt hat after Osmo got kicked, he walked away and went towards Basungatan 48. (gatan = street). Police then sent a dog that bit Osmo several times in the arms. Osmo managed to get free from the dog and got to the entrance at Basungatan 48. When he arrived there, Osmo started to scream for help, hit doors, ring doorbells, it seemed Osmo was under attack from the dog again. From that Osmo reached Basungatan 48, could 12 witnesses see what happened. They heard the noise and a few came out from their flats. 8 witnesses told that they saw Osmo lay down on his stomach with handcuffed hands behind his back. Some witness said it seemed Osmo had very difficult to breath. One witness explained that police were kicking Osmo and commanding him to stand up when he laid down lifeless on the floor. Then the same policeman stomped on Osmo on his back and another witness said he saw the other policeman kick Osmo onto his head. Several of the witness told how they could hear cracking sounds when police were kicking and stomping on Osmo and several of the witness tell that police told them to keep silent of what they have seen. When Osmo appeared to be completely lifeless, the police draged Osmo out while he still was handcuffed. Then they let him lay down with his face downward on the lawn. The policemen then noticed that Osmo isn't breathing and called an ambulance. Witnesses tell that the police never tried to bring him back to life, instead they dragged him handcuffed and threw him into the back seat of their car. At the hospital, doctors attempted to bring Osmo into life, but failed. At 00:20, May 31 1995 Osmo was officially declared dead.

There isn't much that fit between the stories of the two policemen and the witness. The version of the police is that Osmo was very agressive and violent when they arrived. Then they decided to only show him the dog in hope to calm him down. Both of the policemen said they have heard that Osmo is a violent person and that it was possible that Osmo was wearing a knife. The police said that Osmo was attacking them, kicking and hitting and that he attacked with a such force they never experienced in their lives, resulting that the dog bit Osmo. The police denies that they have kicked or beaten him. Finally the police manage to wrestle down Osmo and keep him down. When he was down, he got calm, one police man pressed his knee onto Osmos neck and the other onto Osmos back. Then Osmo didn't stand up when they told him.

The first autopsy was made in June 1995 by Dr. Erik Edston and Henrik Druid who today is the manager of research at The National Board of Forensic Medicine. They found 39 cuts and bruises on Osmos face, arms and legs. They also found bites from the dog on different places of the body. They claimed that Osmo died from excited delirium, which is the diagnosis Osmo died from the psychological stress from being detained.

In September 1995, both the policemen were prosecuted for not having control over the dog. The prosecutor, Folke Ljungwall, told Amnesty International that it was impossible to prosecute the policemen for the beating, since the first autopsy showed nothing about violence being the cause of death. In April 1996, the both policemen got fines as penalty and both kept their jobs. Folke Ljungwall had no interest in story of the witnesses.

In the beginning of 1996, the doctors Göran Sköld and Robert Grundin made a second autopsy, since Osmos mother hunger striked and got lot of media attention. Their conclusion was that Osmo died from physical stress while in influence from alcohol and amphetamine. Also two other experts were called from other countries, professor Jørn Simonsen from Institute of Forensic Medicine at Copenhagen University and professor Pekka Saukko the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Academy of Turku in Finland. They both said that the reason for death was too little oxygen to the brain because of the position of the body and especially when one is influenced from alcohol and amphetamine or cannabis.

Please feel anger.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks for translating

[enquirewithin]

That's disgusting, but typical of police getting carried away and losing control, especially when dealing with minorities.

[Ximot]

I think anger is a natural human response to this atrocity and injustice, but I don't think it is appropriate or helpful. It's a sad story, and I do wish policemen didn't act like that. I wish nobody were ever violent, that people were peaceful enough within themselves so they wouldn't have to be aggressive towards others.

[Triple7]

Swim knows 5 cases of deaths that was indirectly caused by high-level persons working for the state (doctors turning the blind eye, social workers etc, not police..). Swim also knows 3 murders and 1 attempt to murder that were neglected.

All these 9 persons were considered alcoholics with given lifetime pensions since they were unable to work and therefore neglected as important persons. It is not uncommon that a doctor refuses CPR to a filthy person.

Can you confirm the same about your country?
Maybe it is there, but you don't know about it, so you cannot confirm.

[sunyata]

We have similar stories in your neighbouring country, Norway. About a year ago Eugene Obeira, a citizen of African descent, was killed while being apprehended by the police at the social office in the town Trondheim. Witnesses say he was not being physically agreesive, but the police, three of them I think, jumped on him and strangled him to death. Several of the witnesses present tried to tell the police that they were choking him, but the police took no notice.
The internal investigation found no crime had been committed and closed the case.

Due to pressure from the public and media the case is now being reopened and a lot of old cases are also being looked at in the media. For instance, one of the policemen involved in the death of Eugene Obeira had been involved in the violent arrest of a young african cleaning lady at her workplace, they thought she was breaking in, despite all the washing equipment. Security cameras filmed it and it got a lot of attention, but case closed, no crime commited.

And there was a swedish man who was also choked to death a couple of years ago, while being handcuffed, the police even put a black hood over his face.

I don't have the time to translate or dig up any of these articles, there are ust to many of them.

And I have no problem believing any of these stories, most policemen I've encountered have been honest, decent people(aside from having a shit job), but I have seen those who aren't.

As for doctors not giving CPR to filthy people we have a fresh example of that in my beautiful country. An african man was knocked down for telling someone to be careful when playing football, because of all the children around. He was knocked down bad, was not coherent and unable to stand properly. His family and friends called an ambulance, but they refused to take him to the hospital, calling him a pig when he had pissed himself.
Later, the excuse was that they thought he was intoxicated, as if intoxicated people didn't need first aid.

These are just my own retelling of what I've read in the news, but there are enough of these cases to make an ugly picture.

[Pondlife]

Originally Posted by Triple7

The first autopsy ... claimed that Osmo died from excited delirium.

This is all-too common in these cases. Pressure is often put on the pathologist to come up with the "right" cause of death, and I suspect that this is what happened here.

[Triple7]

In Swedish media, there was about blacks being shot by police in France. Nothing drug related. We have now Sweden, Norway and France as examples.

Maybe the questions is wrong? Maybe one should instead ask: Is there a place in the world where "social misfits" can be treated with a little bit respect? Probably such place doesn't exists.

The average world citizen is dangerous. So dangerous that it kills.. kills because of ignorance... sad sad sad.. so, to be a person that uses drugs, is more dangerous to the person than the use of the drugs itself.