Deaths in Villawood Detention Centre

Mr. Fashovar, a 62 year old Iranian man who has been in Villawood for the past 3 months, with heart failure, died in St Georges Private Hospital on Sunday, 13. Jan 2008.

Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) was unable to get a clearance for him to travel because of his heart condition so he remained in Villawood under the Mandatory Detention policy.

His death will be investigated by the Coroner as a death in custody.

Villawood has a poor record of medical care with two other deaths in the custody including a young woman who had been trafficked to Australia at the age of 12 years.

She was held in Villawood without care under the Mandatory Detention policy.

Mr. Mack, a 76 year old man died in Villawood in 2003 following surgery. He was transferred back to Villawood post surgery and held under the Mandatory Detention policy.

Mr. Cai, a Chinese man who was receiving regular dialysis was deported to China where he died 3 months later. A witness reported that he was called to property and handcuffed. When he said that he could not return because he would die without dialysis the response was "too bad -you re going".

These deaths in Villawood join deaths on Christmas Island, Nauru, Maribyrnong and other places of detention.

This week the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) commissioner recommended again that the policy of Mandatory Detention be dismantled.

(Source :: perth.indymedia.org, 16. Jan 2008)

Protests

Refugee rights advocates have converged at Sydney's Villawood immigration detention centre on 16. Jan 2008. In appeal to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, protesters chanted Kevin 08 - open the gate, renewing their calls for the centre to be closed and for Australia's mandatory immigration detention laws to be repealed. Villawood has been described as Australia's "most prison-like" detention facility, with a history of long-running hunger strikes and mass-escapes. (See :: Villawood death sparks renewed calls to end mandatory detention)