Hunger strike: Joint statement issued by the Colnbrook IRC detainee's forum
Colnbrook Detainees' Forum | 27.06.2006 14:47 | Anti-racism | Migration | London
Over 40 detainees in Colnbrook IRC have gone on hunger strike again, after their previous requests were ignored. More are expected to join the hunger srtike.
We the detainees of Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre have come to the conclusion that we are being held hostage by a monster that appears to be out of control of its creator. Like a Dr. Frankenstein, who lost control of his creature, the Home Office has now completely lost control of its three headed monster, the IND, the AIT and Detention Centres. These three organisations have turned into a coven of evil, promoting heart rendering injustice, bone crunching torture, psychologically destabilising malevolence, and spiritually crushing methods of handling immigrants.
We have run out of pleas and petitions, or reason to explain, or question, the ethics behind an organisation that dedicates itself to the dehumanization of already distressed, displaced, and disturbed people. Below, we pull three cases out of the hat, as examples of three categories of immigrants in detention here.
Group A: -Asylum seekers ; refugees who fled their native country, forced to abandon their wives, children and all they loved to save their life. All they want in life is to survive and live in safety. They have always complied with the conditions given them. They were detained when they went to report weekly to the immigration office, and since then they have been at Colnbrook IRC. They marked many months in detention during Refugee Week. What disturbs these people the most, apart from their indefinite imprisonment without a crime, is that they cannot be in contact with their family. They are haunted by what may happen to their families. They suffer psychologically, they are a chronic insomniacs, they can sometimes be seen talking to themselves, they have become forgetful, detached, absent minded, and can hardly concentrate when they are spoken to.
Some finished their studies in the UK, most were working and paying tax, had never committed any crimes, but are victims of this injustice all the same. Most are married to wives who have got status in the country.
Some are socio-economic migrants or so called refugees from poverty. Mostly from third world countries wanting only to work and earn an income to support families who are starving, sick, and poverty stricken.
Group B: is for the disabled who suffer a health or handicap problem and they have never been able to earn an income to take care of themselves in their poverty stricken country. They have been detained for countless months, without proper medical attention, in a condition where there are no disabled access facilities. In their time in detention, they have been verbally and racially abused by officers and detainees alike. They are discriminated against by the Home Office in getting special consideration given to people who are physically challenged in the "normal" society.
The third group C, which is a minority, are ex-convicts who although they have lived in England for a long time (some more than 20 years), have become political scapegoats, but there are no prospects of removing them. Most of these people have been in detention for more than the time they served in prison. Mr C for example, served a 9 month sentence for using a false passport, but now he has been in detention for 19 months ; twice more than the period he spent in prison. If that is not double punishment, we do not know what it is. Mr C recently attempted to commit suicide, after being refused bail for the seventh time, although he had voluntarily requested to return home many times. He is the picture of depression and he has developed the habit of hurting himself at every opportunity he gets. We worry about him a lot, and he is constantly under suicide watch.
The above examples are all average detainees of Colnbrook. Some are less severely effected, whilst others are more disturbed, but all in all they represent the three categories of people being persecuted by the three headed axis of evil - the IND, the AIT and the Detention Centres.
We have repeatedly called for help and intervention, for an investigation of these crimes against humanity. We have appealed and will continue to appeal to whoever is willing to listen, to come to our aid, and exert some control, and restraint on these organisations. We are beginning to believe the silence which has greeted our cries is either inevitable because no one can help, or deliberate because no one will help, or no one is willing to or bold enough to help.
This is why we have resolved to proceed on a declared hunger strike, to begin from the 22/06/2006. There are 40 of us but 5 others already started since 15/06/2006. We will all continue until someone in authority takes notice of our plight. We make the following requests with all respect for the authorities:
1. We humbly demand an audience with the immigration minister Liam Byrne, MP.
2. We request the parliament to set up an independent committee to investigate the injustices being perpetrated by the IND , the AIT and Detention Centres.
3. We request a temporary admission for any detainee in custody for over one month.
4. We humbly request for a temporary work permit for every detainee granted temporary admission, so they can earn a living, and support them. And to those who had work permits before detention, to be reinstated.
5. We request temporary NASS assistance for all detainees made destitute by the long periods of detention. We have resolved that we will embark on any and every form of civil disobedience along with the hunger strike, to make sure our voices are heard. We have decided to go the whole hog. Although we are receiving persecution from DCOs because of our protests, we will not comply with their coercions until we get some results, and our plight is addressed. We cannot go on like this; we are dying slowly, and painfully, in a land where we believed we would find solace, and survival.
We hereby renew our cry to the parliament, the cabinet, the Home Office, the press, the good people of UK, the European Union and the United Nations. Someone please hear us, someone please listen to us, someone help us and answer us. We beseech you in the name of every humanitarian virtue, in the name of mankind, and above all in the name of God, the creator and judge of all men - stop this detention. Stop the killing of the spirits of countless able young men.
We plead for an Amnesty For All.
Colnbrook detainee's forum
colnbrook.detainees@googlemail.com
We have run out of pleas and petitions, or reason to explain, or question, the ethics behind an organisation that dedicates itself to the dehumanization of already distressed, displaced, and disturbed people. Below, we pull three cases out of the hat, as examples of three categories of immigrants in detention here.
Group A: -Asylum seekers ; refugees who fled their native country, forced to abandon their wives, children and all they loved to save their life. All they want in life is to survive and live in safety. They have always complied with the conditions given them. They were detained when they went to report weekly to the immigration office, and since then they have been at Colnbrook IRC. They marked many months in detention during Refugee Week. What disturbs these people the most, apart from their indefinite imprisonment without a crime, is that they cannot be in contact with their family. They are haunted by what may happen to their families. They suffer psychologically, they are a chronic insomniacs, they can sometimes be seen talking to themselves, they have become forgetful, detached, absent minded, and can hardly concentrate when they are spoken to.
Some finished their studies in the UK, most were working and paying tax, had never committed any crimes, but are victims of this injustice all the same. Most are married to wives who have got status in the country.
Some are socio-economic migrants or so called refugees from poverty. Mostly from third world countries wanting only to work and earn an income to support families who are starving, sick, and poverty stricken.
Group B: is for the disabled who suffer a health or handicap problem and they have never been able to earn an income to take care of themselves in their poverty stricken country. They have been detained for countless months, without proper medical attention, in a condition where there are no disabled access facilities. In their time in detention, they have been verbally and racially abused by officers and detainees alike. They are discriminated against by the Home Office in getting special consideration given to people who are physically challenged in the "normal" society.
The third group C, which is a minority, are ex-convicts who although they have lived in England for a long time (some more than 20 years), have become political scapegoats, but there are no prospects of removing them. Most of these people have been in detention for more than the time they served in prison. Mr C for example, served a 9 month sentence for using a false passport, but now he has been in detention for 19 months ; twice more than the period he spent in prison. If that is not double punishment, we do not know what it is. Mr C recently attempted to commit suicide, after being refused bail for the seventh time, although he had voluntarily requested to return home many times. He is the picture of depression and he has developed the habit of hurting himself at every opportunity he gets. We worry about him a lot, and he is constantly under suicide watch.
The above examples are all average detainees of Colnbrook. Some are less severely effected, whilst others are more disturbed, but all in all they represent the three categories of people being persecuted by the three headed axis of evil - the IND, the AIT and the Detention Centres.
We have repeatedly called for help and intervention, for an investigation of these crimes against humanity. We have appealed and will continue to appeal to whoever is willing to listen, to come to our aid, and exert some control, and restraint on these organisations. We are beginning to believe the silence which has greeted our cries is either inevitable because no one can help, or deliberate because no one will help, or no one is willing to or bold enough to help.
This is why we have resolved to proceed on a declared hunger strike, to begin from the 22/06/2006. There are 40 of us but 5 others already started since 15/06/2006. We will all continue until someone in authority takes notice of our plight. We make the following requests with all respect for the authorities:
1. We humbly demand an audience with the immigration minister Liam Byrne, MP.
2. We request the parliament to set up an independent committee to investigate the injustices being perpetrated by the IND , the AIT and Detention Centres.
3. We request a temporary admission for any detainee in custody for over one month.
4. We humbly request for a temporary work permit for every detainee granted temporary admission, so they can earn a living, and support them. And to those who had work permits before detention, to be reinstated.
5. We request temporary NASS assistance for all detainees made destitute by the long periods of detention. We have resolved that we will embark on any and every form of civil disobedience along with the hunger strike, to make sure our voices are heard. We have decided to go the whole hog. Although we are receiving persecution from DCOs because of our protests, we will not comply with their coercions until we get some results, and our plight is addressed. We cannot go on like this; we are dying slowly, and painfully, in a land where we believed we would find solace, and survival.
We hereby renew our cry to the parliament, the cabinet, the Home Office, the press, the good people of UK, the European Union and the United Nations. Someone please hear us, someone please listen to us, someone help us and answer us. We beseech you in the name of every humanitarian virtue, in the name of mankind, and above all in the name of God, the creator and judge of all men - stop this detention. Stop the killing of the spirits of countless able young men.
We plead for an Amnesty For All.
Colnbrook detainee's forum
colnbrook.detainees@googlemail.com
Colnbrook Detainees' Forum