Semira Adamu
Encyclopedia
Semira Adamu was a 20 year old asylum seeker
from Nigeria
who was suffocated
to death with a pillow by two Belgian police officers who tried to calm her during their expulsion
effort. She first fled Nigeria because of a forced marriage
.
On December 12th, 2003, four police were held responsible for this incident in the trial that followed. The Belgian state was ordered to pay compensation to the relatives.
Adamu's death sparked a huge debate in Belgium
and led to the Etienne Vermeersch
report on the practice of expulsion.
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
who was suffocated
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
to death with a pillow by two Belgian police officers who tried to calm her during their expulsion
Population transfer
Population transfer is the movement of a large group of people from one region to another by state policy or international authority, most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion...
effort. She first fled Nigeria because of a forced marriage
Forced marriage
Forced marriage is a term used to describe a marriage in which one or both of the parties is married without his or her consent or against his or her will...
.
On December 12th, 2003, four police were held responsible for this incident in the trial that followed. The Belgian state was ordered to pay compensation to the relatives.
Adamu's death sparked a huge debate in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and led to the Etienne Vermeersch
Etienne Vermeersch
Etienne Vermeersch is a Belgian philosopher, skeptic, opinion maker and debater. He is one of the founding fathers of the abortion and euthanasia law in Belgium. He is also former Vice-Rector of the Ghent University.Vermeersch became an atheist after five years with the Society of Jesus...
report on the practice of expulsion.