Syrian asylum seeker dies in Glasgow hotel

A police officer stands next to a group of nine people, believed to be asylum seekers, who arrived on a speedboat in Marsascala, Malta, on July 1, 2018. (AFP)

• In a move condemned by campaigners, the Home Office has withdrawn financial support for hundreds of asylum seekers, moving them out of shared housing and into hotels across Scotland

LONDON: A Syrian asylum seeker has died in the hotel he was moved into as part of the UK government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The man, 30, who cannot be named at this stage, was moved out of his asylum housing in Glasgow, Scotland, and into a hotel in the city along with dozens of other asylum seekers last month. His death is currently being treated as “unexplained.”
In a move condemned by campaigners, the Home Office has withdrawn financial support for hundreds of asylum seekers, moving them out of shared housing and into hotels across Scotland.
Their financial support has been withdrawn because they are provided three meals per day, basic toiletries and a laundry service.
A friend of the man, also a Syrian, said he had been having difficulty dealing with torture and sexual abuse he had experienced while imprisoned in Libya as he tried to reach Europe, and that his mental health had rapidly deteriorated after being moved into the hotel.
He added that the conditions in the hotel and the inability to access support because of the lockdown had pushed his friend over the edge.
“He was failed too many times. I saw that no one did anything to help him. They left 90 people in one hotel without support,” the friend said.
“You have to eat whatever they give you. They stopped our money. Since we came here, his condition got much, much worse. It’s been very tough,” he added.
“He had dreams. We were talking, saying after this we will have work, he will speak English, life will be easier. I think he still had the ability to heal himself, but being in this situation put extra pressure on him.”
Campaign group No Evictions Glasgow organized an online vigil for the man on Sunday, and denounced the way asylum seekers are treated, saying the Home Office and the British government “have failed to comply with basic duties and to treat human life with respect.”