TW mutilation
Mr M. underwent his third deportation attempt to Dakar on Saturday 7 October 2023. He has been in Belgium for 8 years and has now been locked up for over 9 months. M. is desperate: he has already started several procedures to obtain regularisation, but each time without success.
During his second deportation attempt in June 2023, he resisted and managed to get off the plane thanks to the support of the passengers. He was then transferred to the 127bis detention centre, where he was still hoping to be released.
During recent weeks, detainees have informed us that some deportations were no longer announced in advance. Some detainees were forcibly taken by surprise to solitary confinement, only to be deported a few hours later. This new deportation procedure was described by fellow detainees as “kidnapping”.
Given this context, M. became very cautious and felt “deep down” that this would happen at any moment.
Indeed, on the evening of Friday 6 October, he was summoned by the centre’s staff and told that they were planning to forcibly evict him the next morning. He refused to go to the place where he had been summoned. In desperation, he swallowed a nail-cutter. The ambulance was called and M. left the centre to the hospital.
On Saturday morning, the doctors gave a positive opinion and deemed M. fit to fly. He was therefore taken directly to Zaventem airport and forcibly put on the plane. Seven police officers accompanied him, tying his hands and feet.
Activists notified by the co-detainees were present at the airport to warn passengers of the flight of this violent expulsion. The passengers stood up before take-off to protest against the deportation. M. took a stand and was finally removed from the plane. He is now back in the centre, this time in Vottem, where he is told he will be placed in isolation without access to a telephone for 48 hours.
We also denounce the actions of the Immigration Office, which made sure that a person was deported to Senegal on Saturday. When M. was taken to hospital, his state of health cast doubt on whether he could be deported. The Office decided to give the seat on the flight to Mr H., who was being held in the Vottem detention centre. H. was therefore placed in solitary confinement and informed of his deportation at the last minute and by surprise. On the advice of the doctors, M. was finally given his seat on the flight. H. was taken back to Vottem.
This new approach to deportations is ever more unacceptable: it takes detainees by surprise and puts a brake on the organisation of activists’ mobilisation at the airport. We denounce all the violence that continues to be committed, and continue to take a stand against all evictions.
No more detention centres! Let’s put an end to borders and their world!
Freedom for all!
#STOPDEPORTATION
