hearing on the custody of foreigners
the border-prison: 'Grenshospitium'
Removal (Deportation) Camp Ter Apel
judicial complex Willem II in Tilburg
Amir from Iran, a personal story
Makun'a', a personal story
"Everything O.K.?", a personal story
A STORY
This is a story about Makun'a' a refugee from liberia. He wrote
poems while he was imprisoned in the detention centre for illegal
refugees. Makun'a' was suddenly released unto the street in
november after nine months of imprisonment in the illegal refugee
detention centre. The hurry the justice department had to put him
unto the street was something new, they had not bothered to
display any hurry during his nine months stay in the detention
centre while he was waiting for nothing. The mobile surveillance
stopped him and another black driver in februari 1995 at the
border. He was arrested for crossing the border illegally. He
spent about one week in a cell at the police station. After that
he was transported to the detention centre in tilburg and later
to amsterdam where he spent his last few months. The last
transfer took place because Makun'a' was "not fit to function in
a group" according to the detention centre in tilburg. In the
centre in amsterdam you spent most of your time alone in your
cell. A more probable reason is that in tilburg they thought that
he was getting used to the situation. During all these months in
the centre nothing happened except for a fast presentation at the
nigerian embassy who sent him away. After 7 months of
imprisonment the justice department had a new trick, they
fabricated a so called "covering letter" this is a letter in
which the dutch government guaranteed to take Makun'a' back when
Nigeria would not accept him. The dutch government clearly had
doubts about expelling him to nigeria but they nevertheless
announced to try it anyway. After that another two months in
which nothing happened passed by. We visited Makun'a' in prison
and tried to strenghten him in his tactics for survival. He wrote
short poems to express his feelings. Some off these were read at
a demonstration at the glasmoorprison in germany. "I try not to
have any fear. Fear is a bad counsellor, to me it now seems that
I have passed my test of live. I was pushed in the corner but I
managed to look over the wall".
Makun'a' spent some time in isolation like many other refugees
during some time of their detention. The first time because he
did not follow up an order given by a guard, the second time
because he got involved in a disturbance of order. Isolation is
usually given for a one week period. The regime in isolation is
even worse than usual: "In isolation to get through the minutes
and hours is the toughest part. Days, weeks and months pass
relatively easy".
When Makun'a' was dumped on the street he was quite put out, he
could not believe it, he did not know if he should be sad or
happy. He was quite disoriented and needed some time to act
normal again. Now he is forced to live as an illegal alien. "Once
I had a dream that I would live in a country where I would not
be judged by the colour of my skin but by the contents of my
personality".
