Written 17 April 2005

On 13 April about 70 asylum seekers in a hostel on Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin went on hunger strike to protest their 'Fast Track' treatment by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). On 17 April two of the men collapsed and were sent to hospital.

All are Nigerian. Most are men. There are also 14 women, 6 of whom are pregnant. Some are in late pregnancy. The pregnant women are not currently on hunger strike.

Seeking Refuge from a 'Safe Country':
The Irish Government sees Nigeria as a 'Safe Country' and today there is an enforcement of a 'Fast Track' policy for arrivals for deportation within months. With Nigeria deemed 'safe' the new policy means an individual's claims of torture, death or fear for their safety at home are officially ignored.

This, in spite of the fact that the US State Department February 28, 2005 report says: 'The Nigerian government's 'human rights record remained poor, and the Government continued to commit serious abuse.' and that 'Security forces regularly beat protesters, criminal suspects, detainees, and convicted prisoners.'

One hunger striker, Idowu, said: 'The people of Ireland and the Government of Ireland should disregard the propaganda of our home country, Nigeria. My country is definitely not a safe place. How could you call a country where the chief law maker, the Attorney General, was murdered - how could you call such a country a safe place?'

One young single man asked a priest at St.Mary's Pro-Cathedral yesterday morning to reserve a grave for him. He says he knows his life is worthless if he is sent back.

Fathers Seeking Wives and Children:
Many of the men who are facing deportation are fathers of Irish citizen children and came here to be reunited with their wives and families. They thought Minister of Justice Michael McDowell's residency offer for non-EU parents of Irish Citizen children applied to them.

Ironically, it does not. McDowell's 14 January 2005 notice only applies to parents of Irish citizen children currently residing in Ireland - thus, a policy of preventing Irish children from being reunited with their fathers is in place.