Urgent picket Thursday for hunger strikeing asylum seeker

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday March 27, 2002 12:08 by Conor Mc Loughlin krossie at krossphader dot com

support needed

Hi Residents Against Racism picket in support of hunger striking asylum seeker, Mountjoy, 6pm sharp This Thursday Gregor Kerr

Picket on Thursday night here is some back round information about the case from residents Against Racism

RAR managed to get in to Mountjoy to speak to Alabi yesterday (Friday March 22nd) along with another asylum seeker who had been on strike, whose name is Idowu Akinola Olarewaju. He is also Nigerian, and both he and his wife are in prison (his wife is in the women's prison) awaiting deportation.

RAR are deeply concerned about the state of Alabi's health. He has now been on hunger-strike since Wednesday March 13th...today is his 10th day on hunger-strike and he was already in a frail condition physically.

Although the prison first stated that he had also given up his hunger strike, Alabi confirmed he is determined to carry on, weak though he is. His doctor reports that he is having trouble with his liver, and he is extremely weak now. It is worth noting that RAR first made contact with Alabi a year ago when we were alerted by his cellmate in Cloverhill prison, who was extremely worried that he would die (Alabi, at the time, had managed to break a few ribs while in custody and as a result spent much of his time in prison in hospital in intensive care on a respirator).

The immigration police tried to deport Idowu on Thursday, but then returned him to prison. RAR have seen Idowu and physically, his hands and his legs are injured; a doctor, who examined him this morning, wanted to give him painkillers, but Idowu is scared that he will be deported while under the effects of the drugs. Alabi is also considering making a complaint about his treatment at the hands of the Immigration Police on his way from the courts to prison.

We would ask people to write to Bertie Ahern, the Taoiseach (prime minister), expressing your concern about the treatment of both men who are currently residing at his pleasure a mere five minute walk from his constituency office. Please feel free also to write to both Alabi and Idowu at: Mountjoy Prison, North Circular Road, Dublin 7.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Residents Against Racism
C/O Comhlamh
10 Upper Camden Street,
Dublin 2.

0876662060

DON'T MAKE ORPHANS OUT OF ALABI'S CHILDREN!
DON'T LET ALABI DIE!

Your Fax's, Emails, phone-calls make a difference...

CONTACT NUMBERS:

1. The Department of Justice:
Main contact information
John O' Donoghue
Minister for Justice
72-76 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel: 01-6028202
Main Fax no: 01-66165461
Email: info@justice.ie

2. John Lonergan
Governor, Mountjoy Prison
North Circular Road
Dublin 7
01-8062800
Fax No: 01-8062834