17. September 2005

UNITED KINGDOM

im yarl's wood abschiebeknast hat ein mannes aus angola dessen asylgesuch abgelehnt wurde suizid begangen.In dem einen artikel wird eine untersuchungskommission in die suizide in den abschiebeknästen verlangt und darauf hingewiesen das dies der sechste suizid innerhalb der letzten 12 monate in den lagern war.

Inquiry urged over increase in detention centre deaths

The high number of deaths among asylum-seekers held in British detention centres has prompted human rights and refugee groups to demand an urgent public inquiry to prevent any further loss of life.Manuel Bravo, who hanged himself in front of his 13-year-old son at Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire, was the sixth asylum-seeker in custody awaiting deportation to commit suicide in the past 12 months.

At least three other asylum-seekers living in the community have also committed suicide after losing their appeals this year. Mr Bravo's death follows that of Ramazan Camlica, 19, who took his own life seven months after arriving in Britain. Mr Camlica came to his country to escape the persecution he felt as a Kurd living in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, eastern Anatolia. He was found dead in June at Campsfield House detention centre, Oxfordshire, after his application for bail was rejected for a third time.Deborah Coles of the pressure group Inquest said the time had come to establish what had gone wrong with the system. She said: "This death once again raises fundamental concerns about the treatment of asylum-seekers in the detention centre system. What's needed is a full and independent inquiry into all the deaths because unless action is taken lives will continue to be at risk."

Amnesty International said it was important that lessons were quickly learnt. Amnesty's UK refugee programme director, Jan Shaw, said: "Our recent research points to a quite unacceptably high level of suffering for thousands of people who are locked up in the UK under immigration powers. The human cost of this policy is frighteningly high. We found that people are languishing in detention with no end in sight - leading to hopelessness, mental illness, self-harm and even, tragically, to people attempting suicide."A spokesperson for the Refugee Council said: "This is both very sad and hugely appalling. It demonstrates in such stark terms the enormous failures of a system that seems to concentrate more on increasing the number of removals than it does on ensuring that people who need safety here are able to get it. It is vital that procedures are urgently reviewed to ensure this cannot happen again."

Emma Ginn, a co-ordinator from the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, also supported the call for an inquiry that would go beyond what the Home Office investigation had ordered. She asked: "Why is it that so-called bogus asylum-seekers continue to choose suicide rather than returning to their own countries? The Government knows that these people face real dangers yet they continue to order their return."Harmit Athwal, of the Institute of Race Relations, warned the Government that the more ministers tried to speed up deportations the more likelihood of similar acts of self-harm.In July this year Yarl's Wood, Britain's largest immigration detention centre, was condemned in a report by Anne Owers, the chief inspector of prisons. Ms Owers said her inquiry had found that children detained at the centre were "damaged" by their experience. In one case a five-year-old autistic girl was so badly neglected she had not eaten properly for four days.

Ms Coles said many of the immigration detention centres were run by private companies and "shrouded in secrecy". She added: "The circumstances of some of these deaths are simply never made public."The high number of deaths among asylum-seekers held in British detention centres has prompted human rights and refugee groups to demand an urgent public inquiry to prevent any further loss of life.Manuel Bravo, who hanged himself in front of his 13-year-old son at Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire, was the sixth asylum-seeker in custody awaiting deportation to commit suicide in the past 12 months.

At least three other asylum-seekers living in the community have also committed suicide after losing their appeals this year. Mr Bravo's death follows that of Ramazan Camlica, 19, who took his own life seven months after arriving in Britain. Mr Camlica came to his country to escape the persecution he felt as a Kurd living in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, eastern Anatolia. He was found dead in June at Campsfield House detention centre, Oxfordshire, after his application for bail was rejected for a third time.

Deborah Coles of the pressure group Inquest said the time had come to establish what had gone wrong with the system. She said: "This death once again raises fundamental concerns about the treatment of asylum-seekers in the detention centre system. What's needed is a full and independent inquiry into all the deaths because unless action is taken lives will continue to be at risk."Amnesty International said it was important that lessons were quickly learnt. Amnesty's UK refugee programme director, Jan Shaw, said: "Our recent research points to a quite unacceptably high level of suffering for thousands of people who are locked up in the UK under immigration powers. The human cost of this policy is frighteningly high. We found that people are languishing in detention with no end in sight - leading to hopelessness, mental illness, self-harm and even, tragically, to people attempting suicide."

A spokesperson for the Refugee Council said: "This is both very sad and hugely appalling. It demonstrates in such stark terms the enormous failures of a system that seems to concentrate more on increasing the number of removals than it does on ensuring that people who need safety here are able to get it. It is vital that procedures are urgently reviewed to ensure this cannot happen again."

Emma Ginn, a co-ordinator from the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, also supported the call for an inquiry that would go beyond what the Home Office investigation had ordered. She asked: "Why is it that so-called bogus asylum-seekers continue to choose suicide rather than returning to their own countries? The Government knows that these people face real dangers yet they continue to order their return."Harmit Athwal, of the Institute of Race Relations, warned the Government that the more ministers tried to speed up deportations the more likelihood of similar acts of self-harm.

In July this year Yarl's Wood, Britain's largest immigration detention centre, was condemned in a report by Anne Owers, the chief inspector of prisons. Ms Owers said her inquiry had found that children detained at the centre were "damaged" by their experience. In one case a five-year-old autistic girl was so badly neglected she had not eaten properly for four days.Ms Coles said many of the immigration detention centres were run by private companies and "shrouded in secrecy". She added: "The circumstances of some of these deaths are simply never made public."

[  independent.co.uk

Asylum seeker kills himself so child can stay in Britain

Like any father, Manuel Bravo wanted the best in life for his son and he left him in no doubt about how he might find it. "Be brave. Work hard. Do well at school," was the daily mantra as Antonio set off for West Leeds High School.

The last time Antonio, 13, heard these words, he and his father were confined in the Yarl's Wood detention centre for asylum-seekers in Bedfordshire. On Thursday, in despair at his imminent deportation and the expulsion of his son, Mr Bravo took his own life. It is believed he hanged himself while Antonio was present. It was an act that will no doubt haunt the rest of Antonio's life. But for Mr Bravo, hemmed in by Britain's asylum laws, it was a final, astonishing act of paternal love. If he had remained alive, his son would have been returned to Angola with him. Now that Mr Bravo is dead, Antonio at least will have a chance to achieve their joint dream of building a successful life in Britain.

Mr Bravo hanged himself on his 35th birthday, less than 24 hours after he was taken to Yarl's Wood with his son pending their deportation to Angola. The Home Office indicated yesterday that Antonio is now unlikely to be deported before his 18th birthday, so enabling him to complete his schooling in Britain. He will then be able to apply for asylum.Mr Bravo's death highlights the desperation many feel as the Government pursues an increasingly stringent asylum policy. "When those are his last words to his child, it gives a sense that he might have planned things out that way," said Emma Ginn of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns.

Mr Bravo, pictured as a younger man on the front page, and his wife, Lydia, had high hopes that they and their two sons - Antonio and Mellyu - would be granted British citizenship when they fled the city of Bie in war-torn Angola four years ago.Making his case for asylum, Mr Bravo said his father, Lucas, had been a leader of the Association of the Youth Democracy (AJDB), founded in 1998 to challenge President José Eduardo dos Santos's regime. Government warnings resulted first in the arrest of him and his father, then the murder of his parents in August 2001. He described leaving Bie disguised as a woman, meeting his wife and sons in Luanda and arriving at Heathrow in October 2001. He was moved to Leeds where he found support from the Rev Alistair Kaye, vicar of Christ Church in Armley.

Mr Kaye was present at Mr Bravo's asylum tribunal hearing in October 2002, at which the Angolan represented himself after his solicitor failed to turn up. "He was told he would get the result of his asylum application within a month but none showed, despite me writing to the Immigration Service," Mr Kaye said yesterday. "It was a deeply depressing period of limbo for him." Mr Kaye finally received a letter from the Home Office on Thursday morning. Twenty minutes after reading it he was told Mr Bravo had died.Mr Bravo's fear of returning to Angola was heightened in October when his wife went back, taking Mellyu (now aged nine) with her to care for a niece who had been orphaned. She was arrested and jailed for two months. Mother and son are now refugees in another African country. She has been made aware of her husband's death.

Mr Bravo's progress in English was slow and he found British life harder to adjust to than his son. He craved the administration work he had trained for which would bring him an income, once asylum was secured.He had been deeply upset by by a clash with youths after the July 7 bombings. "He stopped them abusing a woman wearing hijab and they followed him back to his house," said Mr Kaye.The first sign that his time in Britain may be over came on Tuesday when two Immigration Service officials arrived to check on his presence in Armley. He contacted a solicitor's practice, which charged him £300, according to Mr Kaye, and was told to prepare for the worst.

At 6am on Wednesday, police called to remove him. His neighbours in Paisley Street say officers knocked for 20 minutes before breaking the door down and removing him and his son. They were to be sent back to Angola on Thursday. " The solicitors who had taken the £300 ... said they could not help as they had not undertaken a first interview with him," said Mr Kaye.The vicar returned to Leeds last night after securing Antonio's return from foster parents with whom he had been placed in Bedfordshire.

"The knowledge that he can return to Leeds, a place where he felt at home, seems to have calmed him," said Mr Kaye, who accompanied the boy to the mortuary. "Manuel left a note, though I have not seen it. He felt an injustice had been done. He had received no result from his request for asylum. That means his removal to Yarl's Wood was illegal. He has been let down by the Home Office, the immigration authorities and the solicitors."The Home Office said it would not comment on individual cases, but said the Prisons Ombudsman would investigate the death.Like any father, Manuel Bravo wanted the best in life for his son and he left him in no doubt about how he might find it. "Be brave. Work hard. Do well at school," was the daily mantra as Antonio set off for West Leeds High School.

The last time Antonio, 13, heard these words, he and his father were confined in the Yarl's Wood detention centre for asylum-seekers in Bedfordshire. On Thursday, in despair at his imminent deportation and the expulsion of his son, Mr Bravo took his own life. It is believed he hanged himself while Antonio was present. It was an act that will no doubt haunt the rest of Antonio's life. But for Mr Bravo, hemmed in by Britain's asylum laws, it was a final, astonishing act of paternal love. If he had remained alive, his son would have been returned to Angola with him. Now that Mr Bravo is dead, Antonio at least will have a chance to achieve their joint dream of building a successful life in Britain.

Mr Bravo hanged himself on his 35th birthday, less than 24 hours after he was taken to Yarl's Wood with his son pending their deportation to Angola. The Home Office indicated yesterday that Antonio is now unlikely to be deported before his 18th birthday, so enabling him to complete his schooling in Britain. He will then be able to apply for asylum.Mr Bravo's death highlights the desperation many feel as the Government pursues an increasingly stringent asylum policy. "When those are his last words to his child, it gives a sense that he might have planned things out that way," said Emma Ginn of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns.

Mr Bravo, pictured as a younger man on the front page, and his wife, Lydia, had high hopes that they and their two sons - Antonio and Mellyu - would be granted British citizenship when they fled the city of Bie in war-torn Angola four years ago.Making his case for asylum, Mr Bravo said his father, Lucas, had been a leader of the Association of the Youth Democracy (AJDB), founded in 1998 to challenge President José Eduardo dos Santos's regime. Government warnings resulted first in the arrest of him and his father, then the murder of his parents in August 2001. He described leaving Bie disguised as a woman, meeting his wife and sons in Luanda and arriving at Heathrow in October 2001. He was moved to Leeds where he found support from the Rev Alistair Kaye, vicar of Christ Church in Armley.

Mr Kaye was present at Mr Bravo's asylum tribunal hearing in October 2002, at which the Angolan represented himself after his solicitor failed to turn up. "He was told he would get the result of his asylum application within a month but none showed, despite me writing to the Immigration Service," Mr Kaye said yesterday. "It was a deeply depressing period of limbo for him." Mr Kaye finally received a letter from the Home Office on Thursday morning. Twenty minutes after reading it he was told Mr Bravo had died.Mr Bravo's fear of returning to Angola was heightened in October when his wife went back, taking Mellyu (now aged nine) with her to care for a niece who had been orphaned. She was arrested and jailed for two months. Mother and son are now refugees in another African country. She has been made aware of her husband's death.

Mr Bravo's progress in English was slow and he found British life harder to adjust to than his son. He craved the administration work he had trained for which would bring him an income, once asylum was secured.He had been deeply upset by by a clash with youths after the July 7 bombings. "He stopped them abusing a woman wearing hijab and they followed him back to his house," said Mr Kaye.The first sign that his time in Britain may be over came on Tuesday when two Immigration Service officials arrived to check on his presence in Armley. He contacted a solicitor's practice, which charged him £300, according to Mr Kaye, and was told to prepare for the worst.

At 6am on Wednesday, police called to remove him. His neighbours in Paisley Street say officers knocked for 20 minutes before breaking the door down and removing him and his son. They were to be sent back to Angola on Thursday. " The solicitors who had taken the £300 ... said they could not help as they had not undertaken a first interview with him," said Mr Kaye.The vicar returned to Leeds last night after securing Antonio's return from foster parents with whom he had been placed in Bedfordshire."The knowledge that he can return to Leeds, a place where he felt at home, seems to have calmed him," said Mr Kaye, who accompanied the boy to the mortuary. "Manuel left a note, though I have not seen it. He felt an injustice had been done. He had received no result from his request for asylum. That means his removal to Yarl's Wood was illegal. He has been let down by the Home Office, the immigration authorities and the solicitors."

The Home Office said it would not comment on individual cases, but said the Prisons Ombudsman would investigate the death.

[  independent.co.uk

Failed Angolan asylum-seeker found hanged at Yarl's Wood centre

A man held at an immigration detention centre with his 13-year-old son hanged himself yesterday.

The failed asylum-seeker, who has not been named, was discovered by staff in the family unit and was rushed to hospital. He died soon after arriving.

Anti-deportation campaigners said the man was a 35-year-old Angolan who had been living in Leeds with his son before they were taken to the Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, in Bedfordshire.The death at the centre, built to house 900 detainees, comes at a time when 30 Ugandan women being held there are on hunger strike. Anti-deportation campaigners are organising a demonstration outside the centre, run by GSL Ltd, a private company, on Saturday.Emma Ginn, of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, said: "If this man was frightened enough to kill himself what he was facing must be pretty awful. Assaults, disturbances, hunger strikes and suicides have been a not infrequent feature in the immigration detention and removal process."

Yarl's Wood was the scene of a major riot soon after it opened in February 2002, when it suffered extensive fire damage, thought to have cost £38m. In August this year a report for the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Anne Owers, found that Yarl's Wood detainees were twice as likely to report feeling unsafe as those in other centres.A Home Office spokesman said that they could not comment on the case but the prisons and probation service ombudsman has begun an inquiry."The Immigration Service takes very seriously their responsibilities towards minors and we work very closely with social services to ensure the welfare and safety of the children."

Ms Ginn said representatives of the Angolan community in Leeds had been contacted to try to find someone to care for the dad man's son.Yarl's Wood was opened in late 2001 by Group 4 at a cost of £90m as as part of a policy to remove 30,000 failed asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants.A man held at an immigration detention centre with his 13-year-old son hanged himself yesterday.The failed asylum-seeker, who has not been named, was discovered by staff in the family unit and was rushed to hospital. He died soon after arriving.

Anti-deportation campaigners said the man was a 35-year-old Angolan who had been living in Leeds with his son before they were taken to the Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, in Bedfordshire.The death at the centre, built to house 900 detainees, comes at a time when 30 Ugandan women being held there are on hunger strike. Anti-deportation campaigners are organising a demonstration outside the centre, run by GSL Ltd, a private company, on Saturday.

Emma Ginn, of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, said: "If this man was frightened enough to kill himself what he was facing must be pretty awful. Assaults, disturbances, hunger strikes and suicides have been a not infrequent feature in the immigration detention and removal process."Yarl's Wood was the scene of a major riot soon after it opened in February 2002, when it suffered extensive fire damage, thought to have cost £38m. In August this year a report for the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Anne Owers, found that Yarl's Wood detainees were twice as likely to report feeling unsafe as those in other centres.

A Home Office spokesman said that they could not comment on the case but the prisons and probation service ombudsman has begun an inquiry."The Immigration Service takes very seriously their responsibilities towards minors and we work very closely with social services to ensure the welfare and safety of the children."Ms Ginn said representatives of the Angolan community in Leeds had been contacted to try to find someone to care for the dad man's son.Yarl's Wood was opened in late 2001 by Group 4 at a cost of £90m as as part of a policy to remove 30,000 failed asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants.

[  independent.co.uk