Abuses at Luona’s asylum reception centers continue – two refugees tried to commit suicide

The right-wing Finnish government, and especially the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, which shares power with the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP), have tried their hardest to find ways to deport some 20,000 of the 32, 476 asylum seekers that came to Finland in 2015.

The reception that these asylum seekers have gotten in Finland is not only shameful but has added to their suffering. Private companies like Luona, which runs eight reception centers in Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Hyvinkää, and as Migrant Tales revealed in numerous stories, treat asylum seekers in a racist and inhumane manner.

Since there is some kind of a pattern, one wonders what type of silent complacency there is between the Finnish Immigration Service (FIS) and the government to turn a blind eye to such abuses.

Such degrading treatment, which is in conflict with our Nordic values, takes its toll on people like two cases that happened Friday.

One Afghani asylum seeker at Luona’s Kutomotie reception center yesterday evening tried to commit suicide by sliting his wrist. (The Kutomotie reception center will be closed in August by the Finnish Migration Service (FIS) due to deficiencies that came to light in February.) Two hours later another asylum seeker from Iraq at the same reception center tried to take his life by jumping out of the window.

According to reliable sources, both men wanted to take their lives because of the inhumane treatment they have suffered in Finland and “in particular by Luona.”

Fortunately, both asylum seekers were stopped in time and are no longer in harm’s away.

One of the big issues at Luona’s reception centers isn’t poor management but too many foreign employees, particular those with Palestinian and Kurdish backgrounds, treat the asylum seekers like kapos at concentration camps.

The Finnish government, which comprises of the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP), doesn’t have to worry about deporting an estimated 20,000 asylum seekers who came here in 2015 since they have trustworthy servants like Luona assisting them.

Luona is a comapany that profits from people’s suffering. Despite assurances that the company has mended its questionable ways, abuses continue at its reception centers.

Some asylum seekers are exploited by the company as well by forcing them to work.

“Asylum seekers are forced and threatened to work and clean at Luona’s reception center [in Espoo],” a source said in an earlier story. “If they don’t comply they are threatened by the employees [with foreign backgrounds] that they will be sent to another reception center in Hyvinkää, which they call ‘the camp with pigs.'”

For Muslims, like Jews, eating pork is taboo.

Another problem at Luona’s reception centers is that too many employees and security guards are incompetent and unqualified and, therefore, call the police for minor offenses. This means that the asylum seeker usually ends up in a police cell for many hours.

Migrant Tales has written about some of these cases. The police rarely if ever listen to the asylum seeker’s side of the story

Another recent case took place at Luona’s reception centers where 35 asylum seekers were sleeping in one room. One refugee was drunk and when his roommates complained the police came to pick them up and took them to a police cell, where they were detained.

Even if employees aren’t supposed to mingle with the asylum seekers, there are some foreign employees who are believed to have sex with asylum seeker after working hours and on the premises. 

Despite these terrible stories, we still get assurances from Luona that they are doing their best to correct the situation.

“We don’t permit racist or inappropriate behavior [from our staff] towards asylum seekers,” said Luona General Manager Milja Saksi. “We have made personnel changes if people aren’t suitable to work at our reception centers.”

Three Iraqi asylum seekers got so fed up with the humiliating treatment at Luona that they went to the police and told them that they are going back to their country.

* The Finnish name of the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We, therefore, prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.