The Tribune

UPDATE: The four Cuban women who were said to be on a hunger strike at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre have now taken food.

Detention centre officials have also confiscated several cell phones the women may have used to send photos of their protest.

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FOUR Cuban women detained at the Immigration Department’s Detention Centre have gone on hunger strike, the government confirmed yesterday.

The situation first came to light when a photo of the women, purportedly taken inside the Detention Centre, was posted on babablublog.com. It showed them gagged and wearing signs calling for freedom and political asylum.

According to the website, the women do not want to be sent back to Cuba.

They were reportedly taken into custody after being found in the country without proper documentation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration confirmed in a statement that the hunger strike is taking place, but did not say how long the women have gone without food.

“The government assures the public that all appropriate steps are being taken to monitor this situation and will keep the public informed of any new development.

“The Cuban Ambassador has been duly notified of this event,” the statement said.

Ambassador Enersto Sobero´n Guzma´n told The Tribune he was unaware of the women’s detention until he was informed about the hunger strike.

Up until then, he said, he only knew of 18 Cuban men at the centre, who, he said, have now been cleared to be repatriated to Cuba.

The ambassador said he is looking into the matter.

This is not the first time a hunger strike has taken place at the Detention Centre.

In 2009 three Cuban men detained there told The Tribune that they had gone hungry for two days to protest the deplorable conditions at the centre.

They vowed not to eat until officials rectified the issues. The men claimed that other detainees wanted to participate in the hunger strike but were afraid of abuse from the centre’s guards.

The men further called on then Police Commissioner Reginald Ferguson to pay the facility a “surprise visit” to interview them for the full story.

Hunger strikers claimed that they had been severely beaten by guards at the centre. One of them said he was assaulted with sticks until his body became swollen with black and blue bruises which lasted for weeks. He also lost several toenails and fingernails.

They questioned how officials could ignore the severity of the matter.

The conditions at the Centre were at the time described as unbearable and overcrowded.