The Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL), along with several other legal organizations, is raising serious concerns following the alleged assault, fining and detention of criminal defence attorney Sudine Riley inside an Oshawa courthouse.
Riley, a petite Black woman, was finishing up her work in an interview room on Jan. 23 when she allegedly had her headscarf removed by officers, was physically assaulted, handcuffed and held in a cell. Her legal counsel, Nega Chugh, says that officers slammed her head onto a desk and put their knees on her back and her neck. Images since released depict Riley with a bleeding wound covering her cheek and nose.
According to files obtained by the Toronto Star, she was issued a trespassing notice exactly 10 minutes after the court closed. Riley is contesting the charge, which is under the Trespass to Property Act.
The SIU has declined to investigate the incident, with the assault case now handed over to the York Regional Police. The police officers involved in the alleged assault have been reassigned, away from the court.
CABL, according to a statement published on Jan. 27, is demanding a full, independent and transparent investigation, accountability for all officers involved, as well as “meaningful action to ensure anti-Black racism and violence have no place in our halls of justice.”
This audio story features an interview with Carl Alphonse, the communications director at CABL and a practicing lawyer in the Greater Toronto Area.