September 20, 2013

Mario D. Bellissimo Quoted in the Toronto Star “Immigration detainees in Lindsay jail stage protest and hunger strike”

Posted by: Fabiola Arevalo

Roughly 200 immigration detainees in the Greater Toronto Area have been relocated to the Central East Correctional Centre (~ 2 hours away from the city) in Lindsay, Ontario.  They have been held there since August because of a coming closure of the Toronto West Detention Centre. As a result, these detainees held a protest and staged a hunger strike this week as they believe this is an unfair treatment.  This move has isolated them from help and support as they are now farther away from their relatives and legal counsel.

Mario D. Bellissimo was contacted by the Toronto Star to weigh in on the story. “The inmates’ relocation has also presented hurdles for lawyers who want to prepare them for legal proceedings […] It is just highly inconvenient … causing more delays and increasing legal costs. This is not good for anyone in the system.”

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