Afghan man found on M7 injured during Cloverhill riot

Walli Ullah Safi was found on the side of road after travelling from Afghanistan

A man who was injured during disturbances at Cloverhill Prison on Wednesday was the Afghan migrant who was found on the side of the M7 two weeks ago.

It has been confirmed that Walli Ullah Safi was hospitalised after being held captive by fellow prisoners who occupied the exercise yard and staged a 12-hour demonstration.

He was reportedly beaten during the hostage situation, but it is believed that he has since been released from hospital.

In a statement today, Anti-Racism Network Ireland (ARN) said the 21 year-old migrant- who speaks no English and was arrested after being discovered with no identification papers- should be released immediately. He had travelled as a stowaway on a lorry from Afghanistan.

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"Seeking asylum is not a crime, and yet this man, fleeing mortal danger, has been subjected to arrest, imprisonment, and brutal assault since his arrival in Ireland, " it said.

It continued: “He arrived in Ireland after travelling for at least three months stowed away in a container. Yet instead of recognising his right to claim asylum and acting on this with due haste and care, inexplicably the authorities have instead held Walli Ullah Safi on remand in Cloverhill Prison for the last fortnight.

“Yesterday, he was taken hostage during a riot in the prison and was subjected to a violent group beating... Walli Ullah (Safi)should never have been in prison. He is guilty of no crime, and our so-called humanitarian protection system has completely failed him.”

“Nasc, the Irish Immigration Support Centre, has called on the Inspector of Prisons to immediately conduct an independent investigation into Mr Safi’s treatment.”

Cloverhill officials would not confirm that Mr Safi had been injured, and following a series of conflicting accounts on the situation, his solicitor Conal Boyce confirmed it was his client who was held hostage.

“It’s pretty savage, you couldn’t but be disgusted,” he said.

“It raises some issues about the system. I’m not here to criticise it, I don’t know it well enough, and we were in a situation where this man had not a word of English, had nowhere to live, had no money and needed to be got in touch with the appropriate authorities, and that’s really all there was,” he added.

Mr Safi will most likely still be able to appear in court on August 5th. It is expected that his legal counsel will be successful in a bid to gain asylum which, if granted, will allow him to become resident in Ireland as part of an assisted-living programme.

Initially involving 60 people, the stand-off between prison officers and inmates ended at 1.30am after two prisoners, who had managed to gain access to the roof of the facility, voluntarily came down.

The gardaí have launched an investigation into the incident, and those involved are expected to face disciplinary hearings today.

Of the 15 ringleaders involved in the disturbances, 10 were hospitalised after members of the prison’s during an operation in which the prison’s control and restraint team managed to clear the exercise yard.