Semira Adamu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it. Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (November 2006)

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.

[edit] External links

• Interpellation in the Belgian parliament about forced marriage as a reason for granting asylum in light of this case
• Pictures from a commemoration march