INQUEST publishes briefing on death during forced deportation of Jimmy Mubenga

1st May 2011

INQUEST has published a comprehensive detailed briefing on the death of Jimmy Mubenga who died whilst being forcibly removed from the UK. Jimmy Mubenga was a healthy 46 year old Angolan man who died on 12 October 2010 whilst being restrained by three G4S security guards on a flight from Heathrow airport to Angola. Jimmy had lived in the UK for 16 years. He leaves behind a widow and five children born in the UK aged between one and 17 years.

INQUEST is calling for a parliamentary committee inquiry into the use of restraint and force in deportation cases. The terms of reference for such an inquiry should include:

The use of private companies in the removal process and the training such companies provide in control and restraint methods.
II. What are the approved control and restraint methods used by the UKBA and its contractors.
III. The current process for investigating complaints, injuries or deaths arising from restraint during deportation.

INQUEST has also reported its concerns about the death of Jimmy Mubenga to the relevant United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Extra Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions; on Torture; and on Contemporary Forms of Racism; as well as to the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

INQUEST’s Co-Director Deborah Coles said:

The death of Jimmy Mubenga follows a pattern of complaints about the use of excessive force against people being deported. Investigations are lengthy and ongoing thus delaying public scrutiny into the wider issues this death raises resulting in the risk of further deaths and serious injuries. So serious are our concerns about the nature of Mr Mubenga’s death and the ill treatment he received we have forwarded this briefing to the relevant international human rights bodies to try and ensure an additional layer of scrutiny.

Jimmy Mubenga’s wife Adrienne Makenda Kambana said:

Jimmy was a loving and caring father and husband. He was a good man. My children and I don’t understand why he was being deported. His family were all here but they were still deporting him. We don’t want this to happen to anyone else. We want to know how and why this happened to Jimmy. Why did he die?

Jimmy Mubenga’s family is represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group member Mark Scott of Bhatt Murphy Solicitors.