brechmitteleinsatz als polizeimethode
Von Brechmitteleinsätzen und Altersfestsetzungs-Praktiken in Hamburg
Laye Alama CondéOn 27th December 2004 the 35-year Laye Kondé from Sierra Leone was drowned in the Polizeipräsidium Bremen, the police headquarters. A so called "doctor" of the medical service for the preservation of evidence assisted by two police officers forcefully pumped by means of a probe via the nose water into the body of Mr. Kondé. This water finally filled up the lungs and caused a severe lack of oxygen leading to brain death. On 7th January Kond"© died.
The following facts are clear:
the incident would have been hushed up if an emergency doctor, who was called in, hadn´t informed against the "medic" of the service for the preservation of evidence. In Bremen it is obviously possible to kill people in the police headquarters without any investigations being started afterwards.
the Senator of Interior Röwekamp lied to the public in saying - more than a week after the incident - that the man had poisoned himself and would therefore be responsible for his own death.
All persons in charge in Bremen knew about the dangers related to the administration of emetics and have been warned by medical specialists. In the last years there have been several complaints against police officers and members of the medical service for the preservation of evidence. At these occasions it was regularly pointed out that the administration of emetics by force is contrary to all medical standards.
Three years ago the administration of emetics by the police already took the life of 19-year old Nigerian Achidi John, who was killed in a similiar way by one doctor and several policemen in Hamburg. For the authorities in Bremen this was no reason to change their practice.
Already in 1995 amnesty international classified this measure as humiliating treatment in the sense of the European Convention of Human Rights and condemned the authorities in Bremen therefore. If talk is about the accession of Turkey to the EU the respect of human rights is always a big issue for Scherf, Röwekamp and their acolytes. In Bremen the same gentlemen ride roughshod over them.
We are not confronted with a diagnostic error or a police action accidentally gone wrong. This decease was the logical consequence of a cruel practice which justice as well as police mercilessly executed and which was almost exclusively applied to Africans. It is the result of a racist special treatment which is politically wanted.
Responsible for this torture are in the first place Hennig Scherf, who as Senator of Justice and therefore in control of the Public Prosecution Service caries the legal responsibility, Thomas RÃŒwekamp, Senator of Interior whose police is committing these cruelties, as well as the forensic medic Birkholz and his "doctors". We demand this racist police torture to be stopped in Bremen and everywhere. We also demand that the persons involved in these tortures are called to account. We are mourning about Laye Kond"© and call for a
demonstration on Saturday 15th January 2005
11 o clock, central station (Hauptbahnhof) Bremen
* The use of emetics is torture
* Stop racist police violence
* Resignement of Senator Röwekamp
The demonstration is supported by:
African Community, AfrikaFreundInnen Bremen, Anti-Lager-Tour - AG Bremen, AntiRassismusBüro, Bluna Bremen, Bündnis gegen sexualisierte Polizeigewalt, Deutsch Afrikanische Freundschaft (CAGA), Flüchtlingsrat Hamburg, FrauenLesbenGruppe F.L.O.P., FrauenLesbenGruppe Hugg, FrauenLesbenGruppe no borders, gr.appa HB, Infoladen Bremen, Karawane für die Rechte der Flüchtlinge und MigrantInnen, Medinetz, Roma solidarität Bremen, Sozialplenum, Stadtkommune Alla Hopp, Andiamo - Projekt linke Basis
Article taken from http://thecaravan.org - site of the Caravan for the rights of refugees and migrants.