An Orthodox Israeli man being held in detention near London as he awaits deportation says he has grown too weak to talk or pray because of the lack of quality kosher food.
Oren Sabag, who came to Britain from Israel in 2005, said he was “super weak” because the food was so poor and was said to be getting “frailer and frailer”.
Unlike other detainees at the Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre where he is being held, all his meals are microwaved and are so small they “couldn’t feed a child”, according to former cellmate Gary, who requested that his surname be withheld.
One day this week Mr Sabag was reportedly given stale bread, and for a three-day stretch had to eat the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Unlike other detainees who can eat until they are full, those keeping kosher are provided with a limited menu irrespective of their level of hunger.
Mr Sabag is now said to be so starved he is unable to even pray.
Gary said: “He’s getting really, really depressed. Today I had to go in his room and pray with him.” In recent days Gary, a practising Christian, has been forced to read the Torah to Mr Sabag.
Mr Sabag is not thought to have committed a crime and is facing administrative removal from the country. Despite living in the UK for over a decade, he reportedly never regularised his immigration status.
Initially, Gary claimed, no provision was made for the Jewish man’s religious needs at all. He was placed in a cell in which he felt he could not practise Shabbat due to his non-Jewish cellmate watching TV, the former cellmate said.
The director of Detention Action, Bella Sankey, said: “Oren’s case exemplifies how indefinite immigration detention strips people of their basic rights and corrodes human dignity.”
The Home Office said: “We dispute these claims. The Home Office treat all people in immigration detention with dignity and respect and we take the welfare of the people in our care very seriously.
“Residents of immigration removal centres are provided with three nutritious, varied and good quality meals each day in line with NHS nutrition guidelines, meeting all religious, dietary, cultural and medical needs. In addition, all residents have access to fresh fruit and water and there is a shop available onsite to purchase additional food items and snacks.
“In line with the Detention Centre Rules 2001, religious leaders and ministers operate in all IRCs to visit and support residents of their respective faiths. Religious materials, such as religious books, are also available for personal use to all residents."
A spokesperson for Mitie, which runs the Colnbrook centre, said: “We seek to offer an environment which supports the needs of a diverse population and offer people in immigration detention meal options to meet specific dietary requirements wherever possible.”
