BRIEF: Belgium Guilty of Abusing Asylum Seekers, Pays Damages

STRASBOURG, France – Two Palestinian asylum seekers were awarded $21,861 by the European Court of Human Rights for the inhuman and degrading treatment they faced during detention in Belgium.

The two men came to Belgium in 2002 on a path from Lebanon to Britain where they ultimately planned to seek political asylum.

After being denied entry into Belgium they awaited deportation in a Brussels detention center for 10 days.  They alleged that during a period of their detention they had no access to food, drink or beds and were subject to police beatings.

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Yahoo (AP) - EU court: Asylum seekers badly treated - 24 January 2008