An Albanian asylum seeker who died on the Bibby Stockholm barge said migrants on board were being treated “like animals”, his sister has said.
The asylum seeker, named as 27-year-old Leonard Farruku, was found dead last Tuesday on the controversial barge, which is moored in Dorset and used to house migrants.
Mr Farruku’s sister Jola Dushku, 33, who lives in Lombardy in Italy, said her brother had raised concerns with her about how migrants on board were being treated.
She told The Telegraph: “When I spoke with him last time, he told me that the conditions in that boat were not bad but they were treated by the guards like animals.
“My brother, when he arrived in the UK, gave the Home Office the address of our relatives in London. They were contacted by the police who told them what had happened.
“According to our relatives who are in touch with the police, Leonard that night at 11pm in the evening had some problems and was calmed down by the security guard. At 3am he was found dead. We do not have more details about how he died.”
Mr Farruku reportedly paid £3,436 to cross the Channel in a vessel last summer. It emerged last week that migrants on board the barge heard “screaming, shouting and punching walls” prior to Mr Farruku’s death.
The boat was reopened for asylum seekers by the Home Office in October, but campaigners have raised concerns about the conditions onboard the barge.
Bibby Stockholm has capacity to house up to 500 single men in around 200 bedrooms— (PA Wire)
A letter signed by 65 charities, including Refugee Action, Refugee Council and Care4Calais, and published by The Guardian urged the government to close the facility.
The signatories described the barge as “cramped, restrictive and segregated” and added that it was “no place to accommodate people who have fled violence, persecution, and torture”.
The mayor of Portland Carralyn Parkes said asylum seekers described the conditions on Bibby Stockholm as “appalling” with airport-style security, tight space, bad food and fear of reprisals if they were to speak out.
She added: “Some people are more resilient than others, some people can cope with the conditions, and some people can’t.
“I think we should desist using things like the Bibby Stockholm as a place to accommodate human beings. It’s totally unsuitable, it’s not fit for purpose.”
Bibby Stockholm has capacity to house up to 500 single men in around 200 bedrooms.
Asylum seekers were first moved on board in August but evacuated days later after the discovery of Legionella - the bacteria which can cause the potentially fatal Legionnaires’ disease - in the water supply.
Flowers are left at the entrance at Portland Port in Dorset, following the death of an asylum seeker on board the Bibby Stockholm— (PA)
Migrants were taken back to the barge some two months later and Home Office interim second permanent secretary Simon Ridley told MPs in November that there were around 200 people on board.
South Dorset MP Richard Drax described the news as a “tragedy born of an impossible situation”.
He said: “While I never agreed to, nor accepted the imposition of the barge in South Dorset, I believe it was at least a decent, safe haven for some of those cruelly trafficked across the Channel.
“One can only imagine the desperate circumstances which led to this sad outcome. We must do all that we can to end this evil trade in human misery.”
Home secretary James Cleverly said last week the death of the asylum seeker would be “fully investigated”.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “This was a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with everyone affected.
“The welfare of all those in our care is of the utmost importance, and we take our responsibility for their wellbeing incredibly seriously.
“This will now be investigated by the police and coroner. It is right that the facts and circumstances surrounding this death are established.”
