Ricky O., Report of deportation by Frontex Charter
"All deportees were handcuffed, cuffs attached to the waist with a bodycuff, and feetcuffed, these attached with a strap to handcuffs."
10th of March 2010, Paris - Lagos (Nigeria) with a stopover in Madrid/Spain - organized by France, coordinated by Frontex.
In Paris in a very old plane from EgyptAir were loaded:
From Norway: 8 Nigerians
From Denmark: 5 Nigerians
From France: 8 to 10 Nigerians
From the Netherlands: 1 Nigerian
In Spain: another 20 Nigerians
...of whom 10 or 15 women and 2 or 3 children from the age of 8 or 9 years.
From all the countries per deportee 3 own 'escorts' and from the
Netherlands and France medical personnel.
All deportees were handcuffed, cuffs attached to the waist with a
bodycuff, and feetcuffed, these attached with a strap to handcuffs. They
were decuffed only just before arriving in Lagos.
There was a delay in Madrid due to resistance of some of the 20 deportees
when entering the plane.
On the plane they did not recieve hot food, only bread and cheese, which
was not enough. There was no television or radio during the flight.
They were 'released', dumped at the cargo part of the airport in Lagos.
This report was made by Ricky, one of the severely traumatized survivors
of the fire at the Schiphol detention centre in 2005 when 11 undocumented
migrants died.
He was put in isolation in the detention centre one day
before the deportation. When transported to Schiphol Airport, his hands
were cuffed and attached to the waist with a bodycuff. At the airport he
was also feetcuffed and then deported to Paris by private plane from
Eastern Airways with 3 escort policemen and 1 doctor.
His total journey
Amsterdam-Lagos lasted nearly 24 hours. In Lagos he was put out of the
plane without any medication or medical passport as promised to his lawyer
by the dutch Department of Repatriation and Departure.
He had recieved 50
euro for transport and first survival. Some deportees had recieved no
money at all. One month after the deportation Ricky is still suffering
from swollen ankles due to the cuffs and the rough treatment. He has no
money for medical treatment.
