Russian asylum-seeker put on London plane by gardai

A Russian man who attempted to commit suicide by slashing his wrists has been forcibly expelled from Ireland by gardai from the Aliens Office.

The man, who is in his early 30s, was taken on Thursday evening from the hostel where he was staying in Dublin. Gardai first brought him to the Mater Hospital, where he received medical attention. He was then escorted to Dublin Airport and put on a flight to London.

He is only the second person to be expelled under the terms of the Dublin Convention, an EU-wide agreement on asylum procedures which came into force last September. The Irish authorities refused to consider the man's application for asylum in the State, on the basis that it should be heard in Britain, which is the first EU state in which he set foot.

According to the Department of Justice, another man was expelled under the convention within the past fortnight.

A spokesman said that about 80 people were currently facing deportation or expulsion from Ireland. Some are excluded from applying for asylum under the terms of the Dublin Convention; others have had their applications rejected on appeal and were refused humanitarian leave to remain in the State. The latter group includes two men, a Russian and a Cuban, who were served with immediate deportation notices earlier this week.

The Anti-Racist Campaign condemned the Department for its "inhuman action".

Under the Dublin Convention the man is free to apply for asylum in Britain. However, according to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in London, he faces a long delay before his case can be heard. At present the backlog of asylum cases in the UK exceeds 52,000.

The backlog in Ireland grew to 4,325 by the end of January, according to new figures from the Department. Of the 3,883 asylumseekers who arrived last year, just two were recognised as refugees.