Mikhail, arrived in the UK in September 2000, his claim for asylum was refused and he was to be deported today Friday 31st January 2003


For detainees life in detention is heart breaking and the thoughts of pending removal can drive them to despair and push them to the edge and occasionally as with Mikhail, rather than be removed they take their own life.


Bail for Immigration Detainees, estimate there has been at least 10 attempts at self harm by detainees in Haslar, since it became a dedicated removal centre.


This week the Home Affairs Committee on Removals, has been sitting and the question of suicides and self harm was raised in the session on Tuesday 28th January.


Below we reprint in part of the press release from the Institute of Race Relations on that session relating to suicides and self harm.


" When the companies were questioned about attempted suicides and 'successful' suicides of asylum seekers in their care, they gave figures for attempted suicides, but all insisted that no suicide attempt had been successful. However, the Institute of Race Relations' records show otherwise. In fact, there have been two suicides of detained asylum seekers at Harmondsworth detention centre, run by Group 4 at the time.

* Lithuanian asylum seeker Robertas Grabys, 49, was found hanged in Harmondsworth detention centre on 24 January 2000. The Home Office had attempted to deport Robertas two days prior to his death.

* Kimpua Nsimba was found hanged on 16 June 1990 at Harmondsworth Detention Centre. He arrived in the UK ten days earlier and had been detained at Heathrow. The day before his death when he did not come down for food, Group 4 searched the building. When he was not found, it was reported that he had absconded. A cleaner found his body the next day. Group 4 could not explain how he was missed the day before."