Zekria Ghulam Mohammed is the third known asylum seeker to commit suicide in the last 12 months in Scotland.

We are aware of a Russian asylum seeker who was threatened with deportation, put in Polmont Prison, developed mental health problems, got no medical back up and was put onto the streets for two weeks with no where to live and then hung himself in November 2003. Another asylum seeker was under threat of deportation and was put in Barlinnie for 10 weeks. During that period he had no interpreting and was fed pot noodles and boiled rice. He knew he was going to be deported and then hung himself in Barlinnie in May 2003.

Positive Action in Housing is concerned about the increase in mental health problems amongst Glasgow’s asylum seeker population and the numbers of asylum sekers who are telling our caseworkers the only solution is to die rather than be sent back.

Positive Action in housing’s director, Robina Qureshi, said:

“The Asylum policy is testing the limits of human endurance. We are worried that there could be an increase in attempted suicides amongst Glasgow’s 8,000 asylum seeker population because of the torture test imposed on them by the Home Secretary’s asylum policy.

It should be remembered that the Home Office has complete power over the lives of asylum seekers to give or take away the right of asylum, accommodation and shelter, even their freedom. We are sufficiently concerned that we are calling for a Fatal Accident Inquiry, in particular, we call on the Sheriff to address Sections 6 c) d) and e) of the Fatal Accident inquiry Act 1976. we want to know whether Mr Blunkett’s get tough asylum policy is driving asylum seekers into mental decline or to even take their own lives rather than be persecuted in their homes.

“On several occasions, we have had people coming in to our offices who are absolutely destitute and under threat of deportation and saying that they would rather kill themselves here than go back to their countries and face imprisonment, torture or death. We’re highlighting the need for a full enquiry because we want to know whether destitution or threatened deportation could have affected his decision to take his own life”.

Sections 6 c) d) and e) of the Fatal Accident inquiry Act 1976 requires the sheriff to make a determination setting out the circumstances of the death including:

6c) the reasonable precautions, if any, whereby the death might have been avoided

6d) the defects if any in any system of working which contributed to the death ; and

6e) any other facts which are relevant to the circumstances of the death.

The Scottish Afghan Society’s president Mohammad Asif Naveen, is meeting with the police to make arrangements to send Zekria’s body back to Afghanistan. Mr Naveen said:

“Zekria Ghulam Mohammed is another victim of Blunkett unjust asylum policies. He came to this country running away from certain death in Afghanistan. He arrived in 2000 from Afghanistan looking for sanctuary but fell victim to Blunkett’s cruel and inhumane policies. The Scottish Afghan Society hold the Home secretary responsible for the death of our countryman and will ask Him to Reconsider his one sided asylum policies”