Many questions remain to be answered about the death in February of Ghanaian citizen Allan Koomson. He was arrested by police in December 2009 for being an illegal immigrant in the Netherlands and ended up in hospital.
Although the Dutch authorities are refusing to go public on the cause of death, his family was offered damages. The cash, however, has never been paid. News of his case has only just surfaced following an article in The Chronicle, a Ghanaian newspaper.
Autopsy
Mr Koomson’s body has now been buried in Ghana but his family are still determined to find out what happened to him. They are calling on the Ghanaian government to help get the Dutch authorities to release the autopsy report.
Ghanaian lawyer John Opoku says as well as the cause of death, the family want to know why they were offered damages by the Dutch authorities and why the amount was never discussed.
The Dutch foreign ministry confirms that a damages payment was offered because errors were made in communicating with the family in Ghana. The ministry declines to give further details, citing privacy considerations.
Work permit
Mr Koomson had been living in the Netherlands for a decade when he was arrested on 9 December 2009 in Amsterdam for working without a permit. On 14 February, he phoned his sister, Cecilia Ankrah, in Leeds in Great Britain, to tell her of his detention and that he was going to be deported back to Ghana.
One week later, she was informed that he was on life support in a Dutch hospital. The message that he had died followed the next day.
In March, the Dutch authorities were preparing to transport Mr Koomson’s body to Ghana. Ms Ankrah was not granted a visa to travel from the UK to the Netherlands, making it impossible for her to see the autopsy report covering her brother’s death. It also meant she was unable to arrange for his personal effects to be sent on to Ghana.
Apology
In April, the Dutch embassy in Accra made contact with Mr Koopson’s 80-year-old mother. She was told a representative of the Dutch government would be sent to Ghana to apologise and offer damages.
She was phoned on 17 May and told to come to Accra the next morning to receive the money. If she failed to turn up for the appointment, the damages would not be paid.
Her daughters explained that such a journey at short notice was too difficult for their mother. They asked the Dutch representative to come instead to Mrs Koomson’s home in eastern Ghana. The representative, named as Mr De Koning by the Ghanaian sources, agreed to phone at a later date to make an appointment. That was the last that they heard of him.
Other deaths
Two weeks ago, 29-year-old asylum seeker Franklin Othieno from Kenya died in the detention centre at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. The postmortem says he died of natural causes but his family want an independent autopsy to be performed before the body is returned to Kenya.
Bertha Puentes Acosta, a 74-year-old woman from Colombia, died after she was arrested for being in the Netherlands illegally. She died two weeks ago at the Ter Apel transit centre. She had been living on Dutch streets for the past two decades, earning cash as a street musician and flamenco dancer. Eduard Nazarski of the Dutch branch of Amnesty International questions whether the detention of such an old woman can be described as decent government policy.
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SHAME shame to the Netherlands. Where are all those PVV and Wilders supporters? Do they see what Wilders has in plan for immigrants? I know we haven't seen the end of this. A massive enquiry needs to be carried out to get to the bottom of this mysterious deaths. Can the Dutch authorities explain what happened to his body organs. Did they sell them to a PVV supporter? What a pity that they could make money off of his body. Hatred has never helped any society infact it ends up harming that society terribly. I feel ashamed to be Dutch right this minute.
The Irony is that the netherlands is suppose to be this human rights haven. Ya Whatever! These guys who are detained at the airport are NOT criminals, they are just hard working people who were trying to make a life for themselves. They don't harm anyone, they just are immigrants looking for a better life! its a shame that people are treated like animals at this detention center. The WORST! how do you send a body home in a casing? without a casket? no shoes? Are these people human?
To all of you guys and especially Ranjit. Thank you for sharing and grieving with us. Frank was such a humble man and just full of life. What happened to him should never happened to anyone else. Like Ranjit says, we are not saying he was physically harmed, but the mental torture may have been unbearable. It is a shame that this has been ongoing and no one has never brought it to so much light like sebastian is doing. The worst part of it all is the condition in which the body was sent home. What a shame to the Netherlands, this was a young man who had family back home, didnt they have the audacity to even respect him in death! This one will not go unturned! the TRUTH must come out. People cannot just die mysteriously. THe biggest question that I would like to ask whoever handles the bodies. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INTERNAL ORGANS????????
The body of Allan Komsoon was send to Ghana and has been buried there. This is confirmed by his family. Questions about the way he died remain. I started an official inquiery to look into the autopsy report. The ministery of justice has to respond on my request within one week. Sebastiaan
photographer mr S. Gottlieb.... please get intouch with me.... iberic@hotmail.co.uk
thaks alot
Being a Kenyan in the Netherlands, i feel so sad for the death of this young man. It only leaves this vacuum of helplesness especially when you see the Dutch authorities almost not taking any action.
To be honest though, the harsh and bitter truth is that they(Dutch) might and will try to conceal the truth of the circumstances surrounding this case ( as they have always done), and will now want to pay a lump sum of money to this young man's family for the "inconvinience"
I have personally been detained in Schipol, and its some times very frustrating and heart breaking when you see what happens behind closed doors, or in this case behind bars and steel doors, in detention.
A few years back, more than 10 asylum seekers/ detainees died in Schipol, due to an inferno. This precious lifes would have been saved had the security guards unlocked them up from their cells. The reason why they didnt open up the cells? they had to wait for orders from above to do so.
Unfortunately, the Kenyan Embassy here like in most foreign places, SUCKS! and SHAME ON THEM. It is about time that the start minding about the welfare of Kenyans abroad, and especially those who fall victims of circumstances like these, and stop being a bunch of toothless bulldogs.
I was sad to come by this article as I have been in the detention centre myself at Schipol . Reasons are everything but seeking for asylum!
I must say, that if there is one place people are ripped off their fundamental rights, it is at the detention centre at Schipol. I cannot say anything about the other centres as I have never been to the others. For one thing, detainee's are humiliated beyond probably what they would have gone through in their home countries, which is the reason they are here. The stand that the authorities take is that every one there is to be treated as if they are not genuine asylum seekers. That is the same as assuming that every dutch person is a racist. A very jaded view.
As for the guards or personal working there, in fairness, I must say that not all of them feel the same way about it. Some go back home with a lot of pain of mind, and some just do their job and there are the handful that feel they are superior beings. And then, you also have a lot of them who try to take advantage of the plight of the detainee's. The medical services at the centre sucks. Most often the ones that attend to the detainee's are intern nurses or school leavers. On weekends, there is no medical services unless of course one collapses with a heart failure. On week days, whatever the problem is, a form needs to be filled, and someone from the medical staff comes the next day. Basically, one must have extreme physical signs to get immediate attention. Even Paracetamol's are treated as dangerous drugs. Hence, only one is given per day, if they feel it is needed.
The conditions of living are nothing short of being prisons.
As for Frank. I can understand what he might have gone through. I am almost certain that he was not physically handled, but I am certain that the mental trauma one is put through is enough to bring a fatal end to anyone. Clearly, he never expected to end up in a detention centre in the Netherlands. But he did, and dealing with that is harrowing. That I know. In the beginning it is unreal, and denial is what saves you. But at some point it hits you, and you realise you life has been taken away and then each person handles it differently. Unfortunately, Frank was an example of it all going wrong.
I have an entire document, that I put together on my time inside there. Now months later reading it, gives me the shivers.
The only think that can be done is by bring the truth out, to put the law makers to shame. Franks case must NOT go into the rear view mirror of history. That is exactly what the authorities would want. To do any right by Frank his passing must not go in vain. I hope he had the faith to believe that the next world has better standards than this. If so, may he rest in peace and his family have the strength to come to terms with his loss and take console that he has got his freedom!
Dear Ranjit Edward,
We like to get in touch with about and talk about the conditions in the detention centre on Schiphol Oost. The document you put together is of our interest to. You can write to 'sebastiaan.gottlieb@rnw.nl' if you dont want to make your email adress public on this site.
Best wishes
sebastiaan
I knew frank personally, and it is heartbreaking. I don't understand why no one is investigating these strange deaths, none of this makes any sense. One minute he is alive and talking to his girlfriend, the next day he is dead. What is going on at this detention center. somthing does not make sense and i hope that this issue can be followed. This cannot be a coincidence! someone is that detention center is doing something to these people. I suspect they are hitting them. People don't just drop dead!
Thanks to Sabastiaan..for letting those who dont know what goes on this detaintion centres,and funny enough that number of death within a short time like that is definatley calling for a mojar investigation by HRC and other independent bodies..about the kenyan boy that that died last week,its come like a shocker to the parents i spoke to them personaly and all they belive is their son is studying pharmacy in USA since 2002,the next day frank died someone from dutch migration called franks sister in nairobi to to breake the news and asked her where does she want the body to be delivered? it was to be delivered on 22nd sept..obviously she is the younger sister and that news was too much for her to digest and decide what dates to give on a phone,i dint think that was wise to ask her at the time,because she had to breake the news to her parents then later logistics of how to confirm if that was thier son for sure,then details of what happend and how did he get Amsterderm?now as of today the old man was admitted in a local hospital very sick,i dont know the conditions yet,now the last comments were that Frank was playstation then fell on his back,and a lady was there with him that called the ambulance..now looking at the photos of the detention cell if they are starndard
We are seriously concerned about the health care in Dutch detention centres for illegals in the Netherlands. Also the circumstances of their detention has our attention. All information about this is welcome so we can build up a file and present this to the autorities in charge. Sebastiaan
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