Trandum detainees protest against the terrible conditions they are being held in!

Press release 22 March 2015:

IFIR has been informed 70 asylum-seekers at the Trandum immigration detention centre close to Oslo Airport in Norway held a protest on 15 March at 6pm demanding better conditions.

Erfan described the conditions they are being held in “Every day we are given the same cold food. We are only given 7 cigarettes a day and detainees are only allowed outside for 90 minutes a day. Every Saturday and Sunday we are held in our rooms for 16 hours. As a result of this treatment mine and many other detainee’s health is deteriorating.  I have been detained over 2 months. I want my freedom back. I want to get back to my life and be able to live with my wife again”.

Erfan informed IFIR that the protestors were calling for a meeting with immigration officials.  They were refused this and instead more than 100 policemen came to break the protest up.  The police arrested 24 asylum seekers.  The 24 have been held them for 72 hours in separate rooms.

Trandum detention centre holds many people whose requests for refugee status  has been rejected and are pending deportation.

IFIR asks all human and refugee rights organisations and trade unions to write to the Norwegian Government to: condemning them for not respecting refugee rights; call on the Norwegian Government to answer the demands of the detainee’s and immediately release all Iraqi’s and Kurd’s held in detention.  Tell the Norwegian Government it is wrong to return asylum seekers back to a war zone.

International Federation of Iraqi Refugees-IFIR