Eliud Nguli Nyenze, a 40 year old Kenyan man, died at Oakington Immigration Removal Centre on 15 April.
This press release is issued by Cambridge Migrant Solidarity, a group of Cambridgeshire residents concerned about the welfare of people detained in relation to their immigration status, and opposing the policy of detention of immigrants.
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Deep concerns have been raised by the death of a man in Oakington last week as detainees talk of mistreatment and medical neglect. This is contrary to official reports which are not treating the death as suspicious. Detainees inside the centre have been in contact with Cambridge Migrant Solidarity (CMS) following a solidarity demo by Cambridge residents on Sunday 18th April.
Reports from inside the centre suggest that the Kenyan man who died on Thursday the 15th April was denied medical attention and that he died after an ambulance called by fellow detainees had been turned away from the centre by detention centre staff.
CMS has been told by detainees that disruption inside the centre took place as shocked friends of the man who died tried to prevent his body being removed from the detention centre, fearing a cover-up and demanding that the circumstances surrounding his death, particularly the denial of medical treatment, required independent public investigation. The extent of the protest is unclear, however reports from inside suggest that detainees did not attempt to escape and that guards were not hurt during this incident (this is contrary to Home Office statements). It is said that riot police were called into the centre and that 60 detainees were, in many cases arbitrarily, arrested and/or removed; many were not involved in the protest. Those closest to the dead man were all removed from the centre and cannot now be contacted. CMS have been told that some of those arrested have been taken to prison in Birmingham.
The sister of one of the men reportedly transferred to prison in Birmingham has told CMS that she has not been able to speak with her brother for several days, but has today been told by her brother’s lawyer (who has been in touch with Immigration officials) that her brother is in prison because ‘there is nowhere else for them to go’ and that this is ‘just to calm the situation’ and that ‘they shouldn’t really be there’, the lawyer is demanding the immediate release of this man.
There are reports that during these arrests, some detainees may have been injured by the police, and that some of those arrested and removed had clearly not been involved in the disruption, at least one of those arrested is also known to be extremely vulnerable.
Since then many of those left inside the centre are saying that they have been issued with removal directions (that is they have been told that tickets have been bought for their deportation, and they have been given removal dates, but not told airlines or flight times) despite on-going legal cases. All the guards have been changed and replaced with larger male guards. One of the blocks (Block 20 - arrivals block) has been shut down and is now empty (contradicting claims that ‘there is nowhere else’ for detainees to go).
Detainees have expressed fears in speaking out on this as they risk punishment or jeopardising their cases.
CMS are following on from this by making serious complaints into:
1. The man’s death on Thursday 15th April.
2. The wrongful arrests and injuries to those involved in protest and those not involved in protest.
3. Men issued tickets to leave without time to complete full legal representation and concern for deportation without adequate legal representation of those now detained in prison.
NOTES
1. On Thursday 15 April 2010 a detainee at Oakington succumbed to an unknown medical condition, leading to widespread protest at the centre by other detainees. As a result the police were called in to end the protests and many detainees have since been taken to prisons, without charges or a trial. The death is not being officially treated as suspicious.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/8623025.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/8626661.stm
2. On Sunday 19th April 25 Cambridge residents protested outside of the centre. http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Video-Protesters-call-for-immigration-centre-to-close.htm
Print quality photographs of the protest outside the Oakington centre are available for publication on request (contact 07879 972 629).
3. Oakington is managed by a private security company G4S on behalf of the UK Border Agency.
4. The latest report, in 2008, by the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons about the Oakington centre was extremely critical of the running of the centre, including that "Neither staff nor managers appeared to take an interest in the individual circumstances and concerns of detainees. For example, they appeared unaware of the fact that they had been holding a Chinese man for nearly two years." The full report is available at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/inspectorates/hmi-prisons/oakington-rem.htm
5. Cambridge Migrant Solidarity (CMS) is group of Cambridgeshire residents concerned about the welfare of people detained in relation to their immigration status, and opposing the policy of detention of immigrants.
6. Previous Cambridge Migrant Solidarity actions include a protest outside the Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire, on Mothers Day, 14 March 2010, in solidarity with women and men on hunger strike, detained inside the centre.
7. The sister of the detained man quoted above is happy to speak to the press, other detainees are also be willing to give statements.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Monday, 19 April 2010
Merak Seige Ends
The six month long stand off in Merak Harbour between the Tamils on board the Jaya Lestari 5 and the Indonesian authorities appears to finally have come to an end today. The wooden boat was towed into the West Javan harbour last October after being intercepted by the Indonesian navy but the occupants refused to come ashore until they had received assurances that they would receive a similar deal to that agreed with the MV Oceanic Viking refugees. The survived the monsoon season and various attempts to get off the boat, all to no avail till now.
On the 7 April they were issued with an ultimatum that if they did not voluntarily leave the boat within 5 days force would be used to remove them. The men vowed to resist any attempts at forcible removal, moving back on to the boat from the tented village dockside that they had occupied as relief from the foetid conditions on board. However, announcement of the Australian Government's decision to suspend new refugee applications for Afghans and Sri Lankans prompted at least 30 of the men to jump ship and disappear.
Tense negotiations continued well past the deadline and no end appeared in sight until this morning (Java Time), when coaches arrive dockside and an unknown number of remaining Tamils began to board. The were taken to Jakarta airport and will be flown to the Australian-funded Tanjung Pinang detention centre on the Riau Islands. Their chances of gaining refugee status and making it to Australia appear very thin, given the UN's current stance that Sri Lanka is now 'safe' to return Tamils to and the posturing of all Australian politicians as their election approaches.
On the 7 April they were issued with an ultimatum that if they did not voluntarily leave the boat within 5 days force would be used to remove them. The men vowed to resist any attempts at forcible removal, moving back on to the boat from the tented village dockside that they had occupied as relief from the foetid conditions on board. However, announcement of the Australian Government's decision to suspend new refugee applications for Afghans and Sri Lankans prompted at least 30 of the men to jump ship and disappear.
Tense negotiations continued well past the deadline and no end appeared in sight until this morning (Java Time), when coaches arrive dockside and an unknown number of remaining Tamils began to board. The were taken to Jakarta airport and will be flown to the Australian-funded Tanjung Pinang detention centre on the Riau Islands. Their chances of gaining refugee status and making it to Australia appear very thin, given the UN's current stance that Sri Lanka is now 'safe' to return Tamils to and the posturing of all Australian politicians as their election approaches.
Its The Economy Stupid
So, what has the IPPR study into electoral support for the BNP and its relationship to social factors? Well not a lot really. Anybody with an ounce of intelligence will already have known that the core support for the BNP is amongst the 'white working class'. However, the fact is that the areas they have in the past chosen to target in their election campaigns have been where they have hoped that the presence of 'immigrant' populations and disaffected 'white working class' voters would be the correct explosive mixture to push up their 'share' of the vote.
The big problem is that everyone knows that the fear of 'the other' no longer remains when one has met, lived alongside and interacted with 'the other' on a daily basis. Hence the IPPR's result. The study however completely ignores the real big problem, that the increased presence of the BNP and their ilk on the streets during and after an election (if the local community is unfortunate enough to be lumbered with a BNP councillor) directly results in an increased level of violence and intimidation aimed against so-called ethnic minorities. Just check out the crime statistics.
The scapegoating of migrants, whether it is by the BNP, the Tories, Nu Labour or whoever, only serves to justify the violence and inhumane behaviour meted out to migrants everywhere: on the streets of Barking and Dagenham or Oldham, in detention centres like Oakington and Yarl's Wood, or in the back of vans transporting people handcuffed between security guards to airports. Targeting those with no voice, those who lack the ability to fight back, is the action of the bigot and the bully, racist or otherwise.
The big problem is that everyone knows that the fear of 'the other' no longer remains when one has met, lived alongside and interacted with 'the other' on a daily basis. Hence the IPPR's result. The study however completely ignores the real big problem, that the increased presence of the BNP and their ilk on the streets during and after an election (if the local community is unfortunate enough to be lumbered with a BNP councillor) directly results in an increased level of violence and intimidation aimed against so-called ethnic minorities. Just check out the crime statistics.
The scapegoating of migrants, whether it is by the BNP, the Tories, Nu Labour or whoever, only serves to justify the violence and inhumane behaviour meted out to migrants everywhere: on the streets of Barking and Dagenham or Oldham, in detention centres like Oakington and Yarl's Wood, or in the back of vans transporting people handcuffed between security guards to airports. Targeting those with no voice, those who lack the ability to fight back, is the action of the bigot and the bully, racist or otherwise.
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Europe's Dirty Secret
In today's Guardian there is an article entitles 'Europe's Dirty Secret' about the plight of refugees trapped in Melilla, a small autonomous Spanish city, nominally part of Málaga province, on the Mediterranean coast of northern Morocco. There hundreds of Africans are trapped on both the city and Moroccan sides of the three 6m high parallel fences, decorated with motion sensors, cameras and watchtowers, trying to make it to the 'promised land' of Europe. Many are stateless and have no papers. Others have managed to get themselves issued with papers from the UNHCR, confirming their refugees status, but it does them little or no good as they cannot cross into the Spanish territory. Some try but are shot by the border guards. Others make it but then find themselves trapped in Melilla, just as in Ceuta to the west, unable to legally cross to the Spanish mainland.Next month No Borders Brighton just happen to have planned an info evening and fundraiser that will highlight the situation in Melilla and Ceuta and the similar humanitarian crisis that exists in Libya since the introduction of the Italian 'push back' policy.
Solidarity Demonstration At Oakington Immigration Removal Centre
Sunday 18th April, between 12 noon and 2:00 pm
Called by Cambridge Migrant Solidarity
In the early hours of Thursday morning this week a 40 year old detainee died at Oakington immigration prison (just outside Cambridge). While the cause is not known, other detainees reported that he had been refused medical attention despite complaining of feeling unwell on Wednesday. One source told the Guardian newspaper that the man, who is thought to have had a heart attack, had asked for Panadol repeatedly and was seen "crawling around the floor in pain" before he died. The source claimed the man's pleas for help were refused by staff at the centre, which is run by the private security company G4S for the UK Border Agency.
Cambridge Migrant Solidarity will be holding a demonstration in solidarity with the detainees in Oakington this Sunday between 12 noon and 2pm. If you would like to join people cycling from Cambridge, meet on Parkside (next to Parker's Piece), by coach bay 16 at 10am. There will be transport available for people from Cambridge leaving from the same meet up point at Parkside at 10:30am. There will be transport available for people travelling from outside Cambridge, leaving from Cambridge train station at 11:30. Please call or text 078 7979 3739 now, if you would like transport at either time, so we can make sure we arrange enough to get everyone there. There are no public transport services near the Removal Centre (it is not in Oakington village).
We want to make sure the detainees at Oakington know that they are not alone, and that there are people outside who care about the dreadful situation they are in. So, please bring drums, megaphones, horns, whistles and anything else that will make us heard inside.
Please join us on Sunday, and show the innocent people imprisoned at Oakington are not alone.
Cambridge Migrant Solidarity
Enquiries/further information: 078 7979 3739
Called by Cambridge Migrant Solidarity
In the early hours of Thursday morning this week a 40 year old detainee died at Oakington immigration prison (just outside Cambridge). While the cause is not known, other detainees reported that he had been refused medical attention despite complaining of feeling unwell on Wednesday. One source told the Guardian newspaper that the man, who is thought to have had a heart attack, had asked for Panadol repeatedly and was seen "crawling around the floor in pain" before he died. The source claimed the man's pleas for help were refused by staff at the centre, which is run by the private security company G4S for the UK Border Agency.
Cambridge Migrant Solidarity will be holding a demonstration in solidarity with the detainees in Oakington this Sunday between 12 noon and 2pm. If you would like to join people cycling from Cambridge, meet on Parkside (next to Parker's Piece), by coach bay 16 at 10am. There will be transport available for people from Cambridge leaving from the same meet up point at Parkside at 10:30am. There will be transport available for people travelling from outside Cambridge, leaving from Cambridge train station at 11:30. Please call or text 078 7979 3739 now, if you would like transport at either time, so we can make sure we arrange enough to get everyone there. There are no public transport services near the Removal Centre (it is not in Oakington village).
We want to make sure the detainees at Oakington know that they are not alone, and that there are people outside who care about the dreadful situation they are in. So, please bring drums, megaphones, horns, whistles and anything else that will make us heard inside.
Please join us on Sunday, and show the innocent people imprisoned at Oakington are not alone.
Cambridge Migrant Solidarity
Enquiries/further information: 078 7979 3739
UKBA Take Their Oakington Revenge
As part of the Home Office's typical response to any detainee who decided to challenge the way they are being treated, 60 people who took part in Thursday's protests at Oakington were labelled as 'ringleaders' and forcibly removed to other detention centres on Friday night. It is to be assumed that many will end up in the more high security conditions of Brook House and Colnbrook and pushed up the deportations waiting list as part of their punishment for daring to protest at the inhumane condition in UK detention prisons.
Ringleader - OED definition: (noun) A person who initiates or leads an illicit or illegal activity.
So a third of the estimated 180 people who took part in Thursday's protests were considered to be 'ringleaders' by the UKBA! Obviously an interesting new use of the word that we have not come across before.
Ringleader - OED definition: (noun) A person who initiates or leads an illicit or illegal activity.
So a third of the estimated 180 people who took part in Thursday's protests were considered to be 'ringleaders' by the UKBA! Obviously an interesting new use of the word that we have not come across before.
Friday, 16 April 2010
Oakington Detention Centre Disturbance
There were day-long protests and a stand-off between immigration detainees and police at Oakington IRC yesterday following the death, currently presumed to be from heart attack, of a 40-year-old Kenyan man yesterday. More than 180 detainees, in their collective anger over what they claimed was a preventable death, broke through the gates of one of the detention centre's compounds* and occupied a courtyard, preventing police and coroners officials entering the room where the man's body lay.
Police riot squads and Prison Service 'Tornado' teams arrived in large numbers throughout yesterday morning, and a tense stand-off between the protesters and a police negotiation team ensued. The detainees threatened to start a hunger strike to protest at the detention centre's lack of care. The dead man had apparently pleaded with G4S staff at the privately run immigration prison for a doctor and painkillers, but staff refused his requests. Oakington is an ex-RAF based that was slated to close in 2006 but remains open with currently no new date announced for its closure.
* Not 'smashed down' the gates as the out-of-breath Cambridge News reporter claims.
Police riot squads and Prison Service 'Tornado' teams arrived in large numbers throughout yesterday morning, and a tense stand-off between the protesters and a police negotiation team ensued. The detainees threatened to start a hunger strike to protest at the detention centre's lack of care. The dead man had apparently pleaded with G4S staff at the privately run immigration prison for a doctor and painkillers, but staff refused his requests. Oakington is an ex-RAF based that was slated to close in 2006 but remains open with currently no new date announced for its closure.
* Not 'smashed down' the gates as the out-of-breath Cambridge News reporter claims.
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