Slavery
conditions in the Paphos detention centre
By Marios Demetriou, Simerini, 14 April 2014
By Marios Demetriou, Simerini, 14 April 2014
The non-governmental
organizations, Cyprus Stop Trafficking and Future World Center, have filed
another complaint regarding squalid conditions of detention of aliens for the
purpose of deportation. It involves a 17-year old Somali, Abdi Rasak Ome
Mohamed, who has been held for almost 5 months at the Paphos police station,
almost in complete isolation, wearing the same clothes he was arrested in last
December, with insufficient twice-daily food provisions.
Arrest at the Paphos airport
The President of Cyprus Stop
Trafficking, Androulla Christofides Henriques, informed SigmaLive that
representatives of the organization, accompanied by a Cypriot lawyer and a
Somali translator, visited the Somali minor last Friday, 11.04.2014. Ms.
Christofides told us that until last Friday, he had not been allowed to contact
a lawyer or any member of his family.
The youngster, who is not 18 yet
(born on 02/11/1996), came to Cyprus in October 2013 and was arrested in
December 2013 at the Paphos airport when he attempted to travel to Norway using
a fake passport. He also carried his birth certificate confirming his age,
taken from him by the police. He was arrested and incarcerated at the detention
center, after being accused of possessing false documents; on January 14, 2014
a detention order and deportation were issued.
He had been beaten by El Shabab
The young Somali says that the
reason he left Somalia was because he had refused to enlist himself in the
outlawed Islamist terrorist organization El Shabab (which forcibly recruits
teen Somalis, mainly from rural areas of the country). A member of the
organisation threatened to kill him, he was severely beaten and lost 70% of his
hearing.
Ms. Christofides told us that
although he asked to see a doctor, he had not yet been transferred to the
hospital for the necessary tests. He was refused even painkillers! The
youngster complained that an officer of the Social Welfare visited him twice, the
first week of his detention and three weeks ago, without the presence of a
translator, and ignored his request to seek political asylum.
Living in an impoverishment situation
The 17 year old Somali told his
visitors that he was allowed to go out in the courtyard of the detention center
for 20 minutes every 3-4 days and he was always accompanied by a police
officer. The rest of the time he is locked in his cell, alone. His clothes and
his personal belongings were seized on the day of his arrest at the airport and
have not been returned to him. He wears the same clothes for almost 5 months
now (!), has not been provided with the basic toiletries such as toothpaste and
shampoo (they were given to him by his visitors last Friday). There is a toilet
in his cell and he is allowed to clean it with water only 3-4 days. Because of
the stench, he is unable to sleep. He is given food twice a day, once in the
morning and at noon, but not in the evening. As a result, he lost a lot of
weight and his clothes do not fit him any more. He ties his clothes on his body
with a plastic ribbon as he has no other clothes to wear... He also complained
that officers in the detention center often force him to clean the cells of
other detainees.
Request to Mr. Hasikos to free him
Ms. Androulla Christofides
Henriques, president of the organization Cyprus Stop Trafficking wrote “Am Epos
am Ergon “- “dictum factum”, in a note to the Interior Minister Socrates Hasikos.”Dear
Minister, you suggested that we should work together and I accepted that with
enthusiasm! As part of this cooperation, I am sure that you will solve the
problem of the young Somali boy who is being held at detention center in Paphos
soon, (Easter is coming and it's a shame to make him stay in). In the context
of our cooperation, our organization can take care of him and deal with the
problem of his hearing."
