Roman authorities have arrested 14 migrants from nine countries for their alleged involvement in unrest at a repatriation center following the death of a migrant from Guinea, police said Monday.
Italy: African migrants arrested after the death of a Guinean
An Italian border police officer escorts sub-Saharans to a relocation centre
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Copyright © africanews
Emilio Morenatti/Emilio Morenatti
After the body was discovered Sunday morning, migrants at the center began setting mattresses on fire and throwing objects at law enforcement personnel. The migrants used telephone booths to knock down two partitions.
One group attacked parked police vehicles, setting one of them on fire, while another group entered a room where law enforcement kept personal items, which they took. taken and destroyed. The suspects also destroyed eight video cameras, according to police.
The authorities used tear gas to calm the unrest, which continued into the evening. Three officers were injured. The suspects are from Morocco , Pakistan, Guinea , Cuba, Chile, Senegal , Tunisia , Nigeria and Gambia .
An Italian lawmaker who visited the center on Sunday said the 21-year-old Guinean migrant hanged himself after expressing despair at not being able to return home to his family.
“These centers are black holes for rights and humanity,” Riccardo Magi told La Repubblica television channel , calling for their closure. “Most of the people detained here will never be repatriated.”