UK asylum detainees hunger strike continues

Hunger Strike @ Campsfield IRC continues

The hunger strike began on Saturday 9 August when 13 detainees from Kurdistan wishing to make their voices heard against their detention and threatened deportation refused their evening meal and all subsequent meals since.

"Without any reason we are being held here and they are trying to deport us to the most dangerous country in the world. We want people to listen to us. We are refusing all food and water and we will keep going. It is better to be dead than to return to Iraq," said Fazzel Abdul, spokesperson for the Kurdish detainees.

The Kurdish detainees were further angered by the news that Hussein Ali a Kurdish refugee had committed suicide on Sunday 10 August after being deported from the UK to Kurdistan. Hussein had been in detention for about 50 days in Oakington IRC before his expulsion from the UK on Thursday 7 August.

Originally 13 Kurdish detainees began the hunger strike but were quickly joined by up to 50/60 other detainees; angry at separation from their families in the UK and the amount of time some have them have spent incarcerated in Campsfield IRC.

One detainee managed to get on to the roof of Campsfield IRC yesterday but came down after several hours; he is now in the healthcare unit at the detention centre.

At midday today (Friday), the detainees said they were all resolute to continue refusing food, until their basic demands are met, released from detention and to be recognised as refugees.

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Update on Hunger Strike @ Campsfield IRC/Thursday 14th August

The hunger strikers remain resolute in their determination to continue with their struggle. They are all very concerned about the deaths of those who have recently been returned to Iraqi/Kurdistan and are determined that they will not follow them.

Hata Najem has been given a date to travel on 3/9/08. He has been in the UK for 8 years.

Ali Ahmed Hassan is reported to now be very sick, but has apparently only seen the doctor once.

The treatment all the men are receiving is described as poor. Fazzel has said that one guard in particular, * ******, has been verbally abusive to the detainees, telling them that he's happy they're not eating as it's a saving to the taxpayer and giving detainees quite graphic descriptions of what he would like to do to them if there were no CCTV in the centre.

Mr. ****** has also been alleged to have physically pushed detainees and verbally abused them for requesting guards' ID details.

The general disrespectful attitude of the staff is described as central to the detainees' decision to go on hunger strike and Fazzel describes, for example, a customary practice of detainees' meals being kicked across the floor to them by guards, rather than passed by hand.

Fazzel also claims that a proposed BBC local radio interview was blocked by Campsfield management this morning; he claims that the reporter has been given misleading information to the effect that the detainees have criminal convictions. They do not.

Unacceptable death of Hussein Ali
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine97/HusseinAli.html

Hunger strike in Campsfield as deportee takes his own life in Iraq
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/406704.html

Hunger strike continues: Oxford Mail 14/08/08
http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.2425364.0.hunger_strike_continues.php

Hunger strike at detention centre: Oxford Mail 11/08/08
http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2422860.0.hunger_strike_at_detention_centre.php