Today a memorial meeting will be held for Bereket Yohannes, a 26-year old Eritrean man who committed suicide whilst detained in Harmondsworth Detention Centre on 19th January.

Liberty has filed a challenge in the European Court of Human Rights seeking an effective investigation into the suicide of a Lithuanian asylum seeker in Harmondsworth Detention Centre in 2000.

Anna Fairclough, legal officer for Liberty, said:

“Liberty acts for the family of another asylum seeker who, like Mr. Yohannes, hung himself in the showers at Harmondsworth. Tragically, the lessons from that avoidable death have not been learned.”

Liberty Press Office on 0207 378 3656 or 07973 831 128

WHAT: Memorial meeting for Bereket Yohannes

WHERE: The Spitz Gallery, 109 Old Spitalfields Market

Commercial Street, London E1

WHEN: Monday, 30th January at 6:30pm

WHO: Asylum Aid, Bail for Immigration Detainees, Detention Advice Service

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Bereket Yohannes' death is the 12th suicide in detention since the beginning of 2000.

2. Liberty is representing the family of Mr. Grabyte, a Lithuanian asylum seeker who committed suicide in Harmondsworth Detention Centre on the day he was to be removed from the UK. Liberty successfully had the internal report into his death released into the public domain. A negligence claim taken by the family against the Home Office and the private firm which ran Harmondsworth was settled in 2005. In December 2005 Liberty filed papers with the European Court of Human Rights arguing that there has not been an effective investigation into his death. No date has yet been set for this hearing.

3. The Spitz Gallery is currently showing Isabelle Merminod's photography exhibition: "Imprisoned: The damaging effects of immigration detention". Through photographs and texts it shows the effects of detaining men, women and children - provoking responses such as 'shocking' and 'ashamed' from those who have seen it. ENDS//