Morocco World News
Morocco World News
Fez, August 4, 2012
According to the French daily newspaper “Liberation”, A Moroccan citizen, who was under arrest in Marseille, had been transferred to the hospital, while being “in serious condition” after she attempted to commit a suicide on July 30th.
The newspaper quoted her lawyer as saying that “Fatima Asfour, who tried to put an end to her life by taking drugs, felt severe pain, and after she was left untreated by the police officers, she tried to draw their attention by beating her head against the wall. Instead of taking care of her, the police officers forced her to wear a helmet,” before transporting her to the hospital.
Before her transfer to the hospital and although she was in a critical condition, the French police officer did not hesitate to handcuff her and put her in confinement.
The firemen arrived only 10 hours after the occurrence of her alleged suicide attempt. When she arrived in the hospital, the doctors noticed traces of handcuffs on her wrists and bruises on her face.
Despite warnings from the Association Forum réfugiés on her psychological condition, the prefecture of Vaucluse decided to deport her on July 31st.
The association, which focuses on the defense of the rights of foreigners, criticized the conditions of implementation of the removal of the 39-year old Moroccan.
“If the administrative detention is a legal means of coercion to force illegal aliens who do not take the initiative to leave French territory, the execution of the deportation cannot take place to the detriment of the integrity of the persons concerned,” the association Forum Réfugiés was quoted by Liberation as saying.
The public prosecutor of Marseille opened a preliminary investigation after he was notified of the occurrence of the “incident” in the center of administrative detention on 30 July and 31.
Fatima was placed in confinement after she refused on two occasions, on July 10 and 18, to be put on a plane bound for Morocco.
