Torture survivor beaten unconscious by detention centre guards
He said that he had been assaulted by guards at Haslar detention centre during a protest by detainees about the death of Bereket Johannes in Harmondsworth. DC.
He had suffered injuries to the nerves to both hands, and to his left leg, on which he could not bear weight. He had been rendered unconscious. He was transferred in this state - not to hospital as good practice dictates for unconscious patients - but to Colnbrook Detention Centre.
Here no doctor’s examination was recorded until the following day; nor was he allowed a wheel chair during my visit.
In protest, he refused food and water, and went into early renal failure.
At his request, and with help from Medical Justice volunteer lawyers, I compelled his admission to hospital and he was rehydrated by drip. The detention centre have not complied with a court order to deliver crucial charts (which I have seen) which show a concerning lack of competence in measuring his fluid balance.
Following continued hunger strike (to 29 days) he was readmitted to hospital and safely refed. Medical reports about his injuries and inadequate subsequent management at Colnbrook were held to play a significant part in his being granted bail.
He is pursuing a claim for asylum, supported by a medico-legal report concerning scars consistent with his account of torture in his country of origin."
Dr Frank Arnold
Last Updated on Monday, 05 November 2007 20:57