AFRICA: AMNESTY CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO FRENCH DEATHS OF FOREIGN NATIONALS

News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International

AI Index: EUR 21/001/2003 22 January 2003

France: Deaths during forcible deportations from Roissy must be fully and
impartially investigated

The recent deaths of two undocumented foreign nationals must be fully and
impartially investigated, urged Amnesty International.

"These deaths which happened within two weeks of one another, are the first
to have occurred on an aircraft during forcible deportation from French
territory since 1991, and for that reason alone require urgent in-depth
examination. The number of deaths in other European countries make it yet
more imperative for these instances to be fully investigated."

Before receiving news of the death of Somalian national Mariame Getu Hagos
on 16 January, Amnesty International had written to the Minister of the
Interior about the death, on 30 December 2002, of Ricardo Barrientos, an
Argentinian national, on an aircraft bound for Buenos Aires.

Both deaths appear to have occurred after the deportees were placed at the
rear of the aircraft and their hands cuffed behind their back. Ricardo
Barrientos was held in a "doubled over" position, with pressure applied to
his shoulder blades.

"Existing expert advice on postural asphyxia has proved that handcuffing a
person behind their back can restrict their ability to breathe, while any
weight applied to the back in this position -- such as pressure applied by
a police officer -- can increase breathing difficulty further," Amnesty
International said.

Consequently, the organization urged that the deaths are examined fully and
impartially by a body such as the Commission nationale de déontologie de la
sécurité, which should investigate whether international human rights
principles were followed. The conclusions of the current inquiry into
Ricardo Barrientos' death by the public prosecutor of Bobigny should be
made public, particularly considering the disputed versions about the exact
circumstances and time of his death.

In its letter Amnesty International is asking the French authorities for
clarification of the procedures in place for forcible deportation and
whether these are fully in line with international recommendations or
principles. Such recommendations include those issued by the European
Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment or the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Background

On 16 January Mariame Getu Hagos, a 25-year-old undocumented Somalian
national, died after being taken ill on board an aircraft awaiting
departure to Johannesburg from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport. According
to reports, Mariame Getu Hagos had arrived in France five days earlier from
South Africa, and was placed in the waiting area at Roissy. After his
application for asylum was rejected, he resisted attempts to deport him
and, after apparently becoming ill on two separate occasions, was examined
by a doctor on emergency call. Deemed, nevertheless, fit to leave, he was
accompanied onto the aircraft by three frontier (PAF) police officers,
placed at the rear and handcuffed. Before take-off he reportedly again made
efforts to resist departure and, according to the Interior Ministry, was
restrained by the "customary techniques" ("techniques habituelles"). It is
not, however, clear at this stage what these techniques involved. Shortly
afterwards he collapsed and was taken to Villepinte hospital, where he died
two days later. According to the PAF Mariame Getu Hagos had simulated the
first two attacks of illness. However, a doctor attached to the emergency
medical services (SMU) reportedly stated that the Somalian's condition
should have been taken seriously.

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