30/11/10
PRESS RELEASE
Iraqi refugee
suffers panic
attack as Home
Office
contracted
guards restrain
him by the neck
during attempted
deportation to
Baghdad
Diako Latif, a
24 year old
Kurdish refugee,
has told the
International
Federation of
Iraqi Refugees
he suffered a
panic attack as
he was being
held by the neck
and restrained
by G4S security
guards
contracted by
the UK Border
Agency on a
deportation
flight to Iraq
yesterday,
Monday 29th
November.
He is now back
in Colnbrook
detention
centre. He was
taken off the
plane after a
number of
passengers on
the Royal
Jordanian
Airways flight
refused to fly
with him.
Diako told the
International
Federation of
Iraqi Refugees:
“G4S security
guards took me
from Colnbrook
detention
centre, forcing
me with their
plastic batons,
on to the
airplane.
Four of the G4S
guards sat
around me on the
plane. I said I
can’t go back,
please don’t
make me, please
take me off.
They said no. I
was screaming
and crying. They
handcuffed me
and two other
security guards
came from the
other Kurdish
guy on the
plane. They said
shut up, you
will be in
Jordan soon and
we’ll let you
have a phone
call there. I
said my problem
is I cannot go
back to Baghdad
or Kurdistan: my
father will kill
me. I started
more. I was so
desperate. I
said please
don’t kill me,
please leave me
alone.
They started
shouting. They
stood in front
of me so other
passengers
couldn’t see
me. Passengers
were saying they
wanted to leave
the plane. One
Arab security
guard working
for Royal
Jordanian came
behind me and
held my neck.
The G4S guards
held my arms and
legs. The other
one came in
front of me and
held my neck
with his hand so
I couldn’t
shout. But I
couldn’t breathe
either.
I started having
a panic attack.
All my body was
sweating. They
were trying to
get me to take
sleeping pills
but they’re not
the right pills
for my panic
attacks. Two of
the Royal
Jordanian
security guards
came up to me
speaking Arabic
and telling me
to shut up and
that they’d sort
me out when they
got to Jordan.
One lady came –
I think she was
the manager of
the plane. She
said to me,
shame on you,
why are you
doing this? I
said I couldn’t
go back, I was
being forced
back. She said I
had to get off
the plane so
they took me
out.
The guards said
we’ll take you
off but we’ll
make sure we put
you back on the
plane soon. My
left hand was
soft because of
the panic attack
and my chest had
too much pain.
They could see
what I looked
like so they
called an
ambulance for
me. The
ambulance took
me to the
hospital. The
doctor asked
what had
happened. I said
they were
attacking me on
the plane. But
the guards said
I didn’t want to
go and I was
screaming so
they brought me
back here. They
didn’t say
anything about
putting hands on
my neck.
They brought me
back to
detention. I’ve
asked to see
healthcare here
but they’ve not
sent anybody
yet. All last
night I was
crying because
I’m seeing flash
backs.
I can’t go back
to Iraq. My
brother was
deported in 2006
and he was
killed by the
Islamic movement
– Ansara
al-Islam - that
my father is
involved in. He
wanted me and my
brother to be in
it also, to get
the British and
US out of Iraq,
but we refused.
We both left but
my brother was
deported from
the UK via
Greece in 2006
then he was
killed.”
Dashty Jamal.
Secretary of the
International
Federation of
Iraqi Refugees
says:
“Diako is
another victim
of G4S and UKBA
brutality,
suffering
similar
treatment as
Jimmy Mubenga,
who died at
their hands.
Iraqi people
continue to
suffer from the
effects of war
and terrorism.
Many don’t have
any choice but
to run away. So
many human
rights
organizations
and the general
public have
demanded a stop
to these
forcible
deportations but
they continue as
the government
blames refugees
and migrant
workers for
their economic
crisis.”
(Ends)
Contact:
07856032991,
07824996724
ifir@hotmail.co.uk
www.csdiraq.com
www.federationifir.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes for
editors
1. The
International
Federation of
Iraqi Refugees
campaigns for
the rights of
Iraqi refugees
and against
forcible
deportations and
detention.
2. The UK Home
Office has for
the first time
accepted that
the Kurdistan
Regional
Government will
not accept
forcible
deportations.
See
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/31/kurdish-uk-asylum-seekers-iraq
In response the
British
Government has
sent people back
to Baghdad,
which has been
condemned by the
UNCHR, Amnesty
and a number of
human rights
groups. The
European Court
of Human Rights
suspended all
deportations to
Baghdad from
European
countries for a
month until
November 24th
3. The UNHCR’s
statement
regarding
previous
deportations to
Baghdad can be
found here:
http://www.unhcr.org/4c0e33e94fc.html
4.
Iraqi refugees
continue to
suffer from the
forcible
deportation
policy. Kurdish
media has
reported Rebwar
Aziz Mohammed
Amin, who was
deported on the
previous Baghdad
deportation
flight, as
suffering from
severe mental
illness since
returning while
Osman Rasul
committed
suicide in July
this year after
changes to legal
aid meant he
lost his legal
representation
to fight his
immigration
claim (see
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/01/asylum-seeker-osman-rasul-death-legal-aid)
5 Bombings and
violence
continue in
Iraq. See for
example:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraqi-christians-living-in-fear-as-11-bombs-explode-in-baghdad-killing-five-2130789.htmlg,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11006867
6. Previous
deportation
flights to
Baghdad saw
allegations of
violence and
abuse made by
deportees
against the
security guards.
See
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/18/iraq-deportees-asylum-seeker-claims
7.
Royal Jordanian
have made
significant
profits from
carrying
deportees on
their commercial
flights to
Kurdistan and
Baghdad.
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