Another Villawood detainee attempts self-harm: refugee advocates

An asylum seeker in the Villawood Detention Centre has attempted to take his own life, refugee advocates say, just days after another detainee died.

Villawood Immigration Detention Centre.

Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in New South Wales. Source: SBS News

Refugee advocates say an asylum seeker at Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre has attempted to take his own life,

NSW Ambulance confirmed they attended a call at the facility at about 4.20am on Thursday and a person was transported to hospital.

The 27-year-old Afghan man was found in the high-security Blaxland compound of the western Sydney centre, the Refugee Action Coalition says.

The man has been held in detention since 2012, according to the activist group.

His condition is unknown.
Villawood Immigration Detention Centre
A security guard stands at the gate the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney Source: AAP Image/Jeremy Piper
"The terrible toll of indefinite detention cannot be ignored any longer," spokesman Ian Rintoul said in a statement.

"The suicides and attempted suicides that we are seeing in detention are the inevitable consequences of those policies," Mr Rintoul said.
It follows the death of an inmate at the facility on Monday evening, six weeks after a Sierra Leone man died in unsuspicious circumstances.

Australian Border Force and the Department of Home Affairs have been contacted for comment.

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Published 7 March 2019 2:00pm
Updated 7 March 2019 2:54pm


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