Macabre Turn in the Brussels Airlines / Serge Fosso Affair: Deportee Commits Suicide

Belgian Politicians Call for a Moratorium on Expulsions

32-year old Ebenizer Folefack Sontsa, the Cameroonian national whose violent repatriation caused a mini revolt last Saturday on a Brussels Airline flight to Douala and led to the arrest of Serge Fosso, a passenger on the flight, committed suicide yesterday at the Merksplas refugee center (picture) in Belgium.

According to news reports, Ebenizer, who was placed in isolation after Saturday’s failed expulsion attempt, used bedsheets to hang himself in a bathroom. Police had to be brought in to quell the ensuing riot by other detainees.

Ebenizer’s lawyer, Maitre Alexis Deswaef, holds the Belgian government responsible for his client's death and reveals that his client was tortured by police during the first expulsion attempt. Officials at the Merksplas detention center have confirmed that when Ebenizer returned to the center on Saturday, his body had signs of trauma (thereby confirming Fosso’s story). Two Belgian cabinet ministers and political parties have called for a moratorium on expulsions until such a time when they can be carried out in a more conventional and humane manner.

May his soul rest in peace.

Click here for news report on Belgian TV in French

Click here for the full story in French

Comments

[Bobga]

Oh my lord! What a distaster!!! The BBC also has the story.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7380656.stm

To think that only a few days ago I was just reading about this saga with detachment and really didn't think it was such a big deal... Guilty...

Thanks Dibussi for having a nose for real stories...

[Macadamia Cake]

All Africans need to focus like a laser on one foreign airline and boycott it for a sustained period. Joining the Nigerians would be a good start.

Police, and not just police in Europe are frustrated half-educated natives who vent their anger on the most powerless of people.

The truth of the matter is that Africans would not be leaving as much if Europe was not colluding with kleptocrats such as Paul Biya to steal our resources. Biya lives mostly in Europe. He hides stolen wealth in Europe and Europe uses that wealth to get richer. Europe arms him so that he can kill people when they cannot take it any more. Then Europe complains when people like Ebenizer escape to Europe. As I said, SCREW EUROPE and SCREW THEIR STUPID LAWS AND SREW THEIR RACIST POLICE. We have the right as human beings to be ANYWHERE on this earth.

[John O]

Definitely need to start picketing/lobbying Airlines immediately

Let Kenya Airways know that it is not acceptable to call themselves 'the pride of Africa' and participate in the removal of Asylum Seekers from the UK or anywhere in the world.

Kenya Airlines is the biggest carrier of 'forced removees' in the UK, they carry deportees to all countries in Africa.

[Armand]

http://www.actu24.be/MBO_Article/139741.aspx
Mis à jour le 3 mai 2008 à 05:15

«Chaque décès inutile est un coup»

Le dossier de l'expulsion des illégaux a pris un tour dramatique, jeudi, avec le suicide d'un jeune Camerounais. Un moratoire est exigé.

Il s'est pendu, avec un drap, dans les toilettes du Centre fermé de Merksplas. Ebenizer Folefack Sontsa avait 32 ans. «Il n'a pas supporté la perspective d'une seconde tentative d'expulsion et a mis fin à ses jours», explique son avocat. Il s'est suicidé durant la pause, après le repas. «Je crois pouvoir dire que le gouvernement a sa mort sur la conscience», accuse Maître Alexis Deswaef.

«Le 18mars, il y a eu un accord de gouvernement sur la régulation des sans-papiers. Nous sommes un mois et demi plus tard et il n'y a toujours rien d'annoncé. Mais pendant ce temps-là, on continue à expulser», s'indigne l'avocat. «Cela entraîne un grand désespoir pour des gens qui ont des perspectives réelles de régularisation.»

Torture psychique
«L'attente est quelque chose d'insupportable. C'est une torture psychique», commente une autre avocate, celle du témoin de la tentative d'expulsion avortée d'Ebenizer Foleback Sontsa. «Je crois que le citoyen a du mal à intégrer cela, mais pour quelqu'un qui est ici depuis plus de trois ans, c'est la panique de devoir tout recréer dans un pays qu'il a pris des risques pour quitter. J'espère que sa mort va aider les responsables politiques à accélérer la solution.»

Selon Me Deswaef, Ebenizer Folefack Sontsa, arrivé en Belgique en 2005, était dans les conditions de régularisation, sur base du critère de l'ancrage durable ou d'un contrat de travail. Il aurait pu quitter le centre fermé où il est détenu depuis la mi-février. Si du moins un moratoire sur les expulsions était appliqué, comme l'exigent les organisations de défense des droits de l'homme et ceux qui viennent en aide aux réfugiés.

Au lieu de cela, l'Office des étrangers a tenté de le réexpédier, par avion, au Cameroun. De manière violente, souligne son avocat qui, lui-même, a été victime de brutalités et d'insultes mardi dernier, à l'issue d'une manifestation en faveur des demandeurs d'asile. Sévèrement réprimée: une centaine d'arrestations administratives, dont 90 sans-papiers; dix d'entre eux conduits directement au 127bis. «Crapule qui défend les crapules», aurait lancé un policier bruxellois à Me Deswaef. Celui-ci compte déposer plainte et verra le bâtonnier ce lundi.

Des traces de violence

Ce même lundi, Ebenizer Folefack Sontsa - qui avait été placé en cellule d'isolement après la première «invitation» musclée à rentrer au pays - pouvait craindre une seconde tentative d'expulsion. Il a choisi de l'éviter de la plus atroce des façons. Une issue qui, dix ans après la mort de Sémira Adamu, suscite la consternation. Au centre fermé de Merksplas, ce décès a d'abord causé de vives tensions. Puis, selon la direction, la nuit a été calme.

Le personnel de l'Office des étrangers s'est dit déconcerté par le suicide du jeune Camerounais. «Chaque décès inutile est un coup pour notre personnel. Nous déplorons cette affaire au plus haut point», souligne une porte-parole de l'office, Katrien Janseune. Qui dit aussi «ne disposer d'aucune indication» selon laquelle la police aurait fait usage de violence à l'égard de Ebenizer Folefack Sontsa, lors de précédentes tentatives d'expulsion. La direction de Merksplas a pourtant reconnu que le jeune homme en portait des traces, précisant toutefois qu'elles pouvaient avoir été causées par sa résistance et par les menottes.

La police a, pour sa part, déjà classé le suicide de Ebenizer Foleback Sontsa comme un décès «non suspect».

Jean-Christophe HERMINAIRE

[John Dialo]

It's a pity for Ebenizar to loss his life this way. I can immagine the pains he endured. Africans in general and cameroonians in particular are highly stress and trauma resistant.
To have given in such circumstances only tell the intesity or severity of the Belgian police torture. I hope someone is held responsible for his death. My heartfelt condolence go goes to his family.

[Akame mbulle]

The tragic death of Ebenizer shall leave a land mark into our minds and take us back during the days of slavery when Africans were being used as tools for cheap labour by Europeans.This is an innocent guy who escaped the diplorable situation in Cameroon to go and better his life and that of the family elswhere in the world but rather confronted with this gravous misfortune.
Violating an immigration law is not and may never be a criminal offence in any country in the world.Human beings irrespective of colour or race are free to migrate to any nation in the world.That is one of the reasons why United Nations and most specifically Universal Declaration of Human rights exist to careter for the people and their rights in any part of world.It becomes a sad issue if the fate of innocent people are placed in the hands of these unscrupulous so called immigration police amplified with their mediocre level of education who exercises their hatre against black people in the pretext of instituting instructions.It will serve a good purpose if Africans in Belgium and Europe as a whole could come up with a very strong petition using this incident as a point of protest and table it to European Union informing them how Africans in Europe are subjected to inhuman and degrading treaments in the hands of the so called police.
My deepest condolence to the bereaved family.

[Macadamia Cake]

The long term cure for emigration is Europe stopping to serve as a support system for African thieving rulers. Yes, we know that China cannot wait to pick up from the Europeans. Before such a time SCREW EUROPE.

[junior]

This is a tragedy but to hold the Belgian gov't for this man's death to me seems like a stretch. He was roughed up b'cuz he by eye witness accounts started a raucous on his deportation flight back to Cameroon which has nothing to do with the Belgian Gov't. I would kill myself to if i had to go back to Cameroon.