Six failed asylum-seekers held in Mountjoy prison in Dublin while awaiting deportation were on hunger and thirst strikes last night. The four Nigerians and two Algerians told prison authorities yesterday they were taking the action in protest over being treated as criminals.
Immigration gardaí visited the prison last night in an effort to dissuade the men from their action, the first of its kind among asylum-seekers detained pending deportation.
The men, aged between 24 and 39, were placed under medical supervision yesterday after they informed the prison authorities of their protest.
All have deportation orders outstanding against them and have been held for periods ranging from a month to several days since their arrests, having failed to report to gardaí to arrange for their departures as requested.
People whose claims for refugee status have not been upheld can be held in prison for up eight weeks while transport and travel documents for their repatriation, generally under Garda escort, are organised. Usually, the periods of detention are short.
Human rights groups have criticised the practice of "criminalising" people whose claims for refugee status have not been upheld by imprisoning them prior to deportation.
The prison's governor, Mr John Lonergan, said the six men notified his staff of their action yesterday. "They said 'we're not criminals'," he said.
Officers from the Garda National Immigration Bureau, who carry out deportations, visited the men in prison last night.
Det Inspector John O'Driscoll said they would explain the deportation process to the detainees and assure them their cases were being dealt with as quickly as possible.
It is understood that some of the failed asylum-seekers held in Mountjoy had obstructed earlier attempts by gardaí to escort them out of the country on flights.
When possible, detainees are held in the training unit beside Mountjoy prison, which operates a flexible low-security regime for prisoners nearing the end of their sentences. However, due to space constraints, the men currently held in Mountjoy prison are subject to the same regime as others with criminal convictions, including being locked in their cells for about 15 hours per day.