Mafungasei was beaten by escorts during a removal attempt. She was beaten so badly that after a week she could hardly walk, and was still so shocked she had to sleep with the lights on. She has now a civil case against the escorts. They also tried to charge her with assault, as she bit the hand of an escort who was trying to stop her from breathing by closing her mouth and nose.
Partricia has got new removal directions for the 2nd of July. Her brother Ben was almost tortured to death after he was returned to Zimbabwe from South Africa. They only released him when he became so ill for the effects of torture he could have died any moment.
Patricia and Mafungasei have been detained in Yarl's Wood for over six months now. Esthery has just been released on temporary admission, but she is still on hungerstrike.
The three women stopped eating when somebdy working in the kitchen told Patricia she is eating the tax payer's money.They never asked to be detained there, they would be happy to be out and allowed to work and support themselves!
Most of all the three women are tired of a diet of daily abuse, racial or other. They have written a detailed account of the abuse they have been made to endure wihle in detention, complete with the names of the officers responsible.
They wrote a list of all their complaints, including not being able to complain through normal channels - now they don't get even invited to the meetings any more! They are also trying to break their resistence by splittng them up: Patricia and Mafungasei have now been put in different wings and they are being prevented from communicating with each other.