Death of asylum seeker sparks official inquiry

In Switzerland an official investigation is to be launched following the death of an asylum seeker at Zurich aiport while he was being taken on board a plane to be deported.

The man – a Nigerian – fell ill as he was being restrained at the aiport and he died on the tarmac. He was one of three detainees being sent back in a special plane to Lagos. The death has raised questions about the police action.

One of the them explained how they had been restrained by police.

“He tied me like this and with this belt also. They tied me around the knees and my feet. They really tied me. It was very, very strong. I asked why do you tighten me like this? He told me ‘No’. Why do you tighten me so strongly? He told me ‘this is the business’, that’s how he answered me.”

The prison at Zurich airport was where the dead man, a convicted drug dealer, had been on hunger strike. The police reject the criticism of their actions while Amnesty International has called for independent observers to be present in such situations.

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Tags: Death, Nigeria, Switzerland