An Iraqi detainee has committed suicide in Yongah Hill detention centre outside Perth.

The man was found in his cell at around 5.30pm Western Australia time.

The man has some history of mental distress – and is understood to have made two suicide attempts last week.

He made another attempt cutting his wrists this morning (Sunday, 1 September) and was taken to hospital. But he was returned to Yongah Hill early this afternoon being told that “it was not serious”.

A few hours later he was found hanging from his bed.

Detainees in Yongah Hill are angry, saying that his pleas for help were ignored.

“This is a shocking story,” said Ian Rintoul, from the Refugee Action Coalition, “There was more than warning. He should not have been in Yongah Hill. He needed mental health assistance, and got nothing. He is a victim of neglect. Now he is dead. He is a victim of detention.”

“Detention kills onshore, just as it does offshore.”

It is understood that there is no medical support at Yongah Hill on weekends.

For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713

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