arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)
violence during expulsion of 17- year old female asylumseeker
by refugee action committee Wednesday, Nov. 06, 2002 at 12:07 PM
this morning a press conference was held by the Refugee action komitee (vak) and the collective against the closed centres and expulsion . In this press-conference, both organisation, denounced the violent expulsion attempt on Bonita, a 17 year old refugee and other similar cases the press release can be read below for the press file: http://www10.brinkster.com/vakenglish/index.html
INHUMAN TREATMENT OF 17-YEAR OLD BONITA
Vluchtelingen Aktie Komitee (VAK)
St.Pietersnieuwstraat 45
9000 Gent
tel: 0497/29 18 39
fax: 09/264 35 70
e-mail: vak@student.rug.ac.be
http://www.student.rug.ac.be/vak
i.s.m.
Collectif de Résistance aux centres fermés et aux expulsions
november 6th 2002
Last week the 17-year old orphan Bonita Uwera Kankera was severly wounded during her expulsion to Rwanda. Bonita is the girl who got to be known as the girl who took care of the 5-year old Tabita (who got expulsed on her own, without accompaniment to Rwanda last month, and who got reunited wiht her mother in Canada afterwards) when the toddler was in the closed detention centre in Steenokkerzeel.
At the moment she was put on the flight, the High Court of Appeal was still handling her appeal to re-examen her case. That is way Bonita was immediatly brought back to Belgium on the same flight as she took, an order filled by the department of Foreigners Affairs (in Dutch: Dienst Vreemdelingen Zaken).
When she returned she neede to be taken into a hospital, as now she still is in the hospital department of the closed detention centre "De Refuge" in Bruges. yesterday (tuesday) a second attempt to expulse the girl was planned, despite her poor condition. luckily this decision was cancelled on the last moment. Still she remains imprisonned.
The minister of Internal Affairs, Antoine Duquesne has taken this case into his attention. Before saturday he will make a discissione about the fate of the congolese girl.
Bonita was born in Goma (Eastern-Congo). At a young age both her parents and a great part of her family were killed. Her aunt Florence has taken over the part of the mother, but three years agee she also had to flee Kivu. Since then Florence lives in Belgium
Bonita has arrived three months ago from Kigali in Belgium with a fake Rwandese passport. Since the Kivu area is in hands of the rebels, and kinshasa was out of reach, this passport was the only option left to the young girl to get reunited with her family and to start an adoption procedure.
Bonita is 17 years old, the Belgian priest that baptised her can back this claim. The department of Foreigner Affairs refuses to believe that Bonita is a minor, and base themselves on her fake Rwandese passport, that says that she's 22 years. the Department of Foreign Affairs has however ordered a bot scan, that says that she has to be about 17 years old.
Usually this method is used by the Department of Foreigner Affairs as a watertight proof to prove someones age. Now the botscan shows that the story of the refugee is right, the Department of Foreigner Affairs refuses to believe the same test!
The Vluchtelingen Aktie Komitee (Refugee Action Committee) denounces the violent and inhumain manner in which the expulsion has taken place.
Bonita was handcuffed on the plain, with a belt tiht around her chest, she had to throw up due to the continue pressure on her chest, her testimony will be put on this pages soon.
But this is not a solemn case, this last weeks, the VAK has noticed more and more violent expulsion. On this page you can find medical cerificates and testimonies of several asylum-seekers who had to endure violent expulsion attempts. This can be however, only the tip of the iceberg, because most of the use of violence is never known.
these violent methods are the logical are the consequence of a policy that wants to get rid of asylum-seekers at any cost.
We can only assert that since the death of Sémira Adamu almost nothing has changed.