Epileptic crisis and hunger strike at the 127bis closed centre 14/05/2018 update

Update 23/05

Since 11 May 2018, retainees have been on hunger strike at the 127bis closed centre. Muslims gathered in one wing for the Ramadan. 

Two external associations had offered to deliver food during the Ramandan that started on 16 May 2018. 

They heard  that it will be forbidden by the management. 

They see this prohibition as an indirect route to ban Ramandan in the centre and a non-respect of their religion’. 

They decided to go on hunger strike on 11/05/2018 and demand: 

-respect of their religion and of Ramadan 

-friends’ association to bring adequate food in the centre 

-access to the kitchen in the centre in order to prepare their food! 

This day the situation is explosive: one part of the strikers is in confinement cells. Others continue to ring us to denounce the situation in the centre: junk food, insults by the guards, ill-treatments. 

A man has been on hunger strike for 15 days has made several epileptic seizures. He is currently in medical isolation. People can not see it and no contact: ‘we’re going to let it go slowly,’ the detenees tell us!

Calling doctors, parliamentarians, NGOs and tu quanti to go see …… ..

We are VERY worried!

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Epileptic crisis

At the 127bis closed centre, a man is in a worrying state and he doesn’t seem to get medical care.
After a brain surgery, he had been revalidated for several months and he had to learn to walk again. After this revalidation time, he had to go through regular check ups and follow an anti-epileptic treatment. He resumed his life as undocumented and worked for several hours at a friend’s pizzeria in order to be self-supporting. He was arrested at work and imprisoned at the 127bis some 80 days ago.
He got through a first deportation attempt on 9 May 2018; which he refused.
Since then he has stopped eating and he doesn’t get his anti-epileptic medicine.
He had 3 crises in the centre. The only reaction of the medical service seems to have been: in case of a new crisis he will be confined. Retainees refuse that he is placed in confinement and left alone unattended.
His coretainees alert us.
13/05 text message : « Good morning Madam, it is 2:17 in the centre. There is a Moroccan man here who suffers from epilepsy. He got a brain surgery here in Belgium and it has been 4 days he hasn’t eaten. Unfortunately, today he had an epileptic crisis. Honestly, I was shocked when I saw him in that state… they didn’t even call an ambulance, nothing! It is totally inhuman, please help us!”

He can not and does not want to go back to his country where he could not afford to pay for his medical monitoring, he needs a lawyer and he asking for our support to stay here in Belgium.

Hunger strike

17 retainees have been on hunger strike since 11 May. Their claims were not heard by the management who remain silent, and the medical service is totally absent. They call for assistance from the outside.
Their claims are:
-respect for their religion and for Ramandan
-allow the friend associations to provide them with suitable food in the centre
-access to the kitchen of the centre to prepare their meals!