Three human rights groups have called for the immediate closure of the Favra immigration detention centre in Geneva after an inmate was found dead in his cell over the weekend.
The circumstances surrounding the man’s death have yet to be released.
The Favra facility is the administrative detention centre for people awaiting deportation to their country of origin.
The Citizen’s Observatory of Deaths in Swiss Prisons, the Association of Progressive Jurists and the Swiss League for Human Rights say that the centre, near the Champ-Dollon Prison, is completely unsuitable for purpose; is dilapidated, doesn’t offer proper access to health care or decent living conditions, and should only be used to house failed asylum seekers as a last resort.
The Favra facility can house 20 male inmates.
The human rights groups say that they are concerned about the number of deaths in prison in Geneva as there has been an increase in prison suicides in recent years.
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