Internee Amah (28) dies in hospital after weeks of hardship in Ghent prison: “Why were he not cared for?”

The drama took place last Thursday. 28-year-old Amah Ayité, of Togolese descent, was urgently transferred to hospital from Ghent prison. Prisoners found him in a coma in his cell.

They tried to resuscitate him in the hospital, but the twenty-something died the next day. The emergency services asked many questions: why had Amah not been taken to hospital earlier?

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However, several guards in the Ghent prison had already raised the alarm several times about the poor condition of the man, a vulnerable person with serious mental problems. “He stopped eating, stopped coming out of the cell and stopped showering. He was a diabetic, but refused his medication. He had been critically ill for weeks and was always vomiting,” prison sources said. “But when we reported it, we were told he was just doing comedy.”

His sisters were informed of Amah’s death on Friday. “We hadn’t heard from him for a long time,” they say excitedly. “Last week we were suddenly contacted by someone from the police. We were told that Amah had died in hospital. We were told that he was found in a comatose state in his cell in the Nieuwewandeling in Ghent. We didn’t even know he was in jail, let alone know why he was in jail. We weren’t told any of that.” (Read more below the photo)

Starving

“How could this happen? How can someone starve themselves to death? Why don’t they intervene if someone no longer wants to shower or leave their cell? I heard that he vomited often. Why weren’t they concerned?”, the sisters who went to pay his last respects in the hospital sounded angry and sad.

“How can a person starve himself to death? Why don’t people intervene? Why weren’t they concerned?”

Sisters of Amah

“He looked very unkempt. He had lost a lot of weight and his hair had not been cut in months. We have many questions and we hope that our brother gets justice. That will reveal what went wrong here, so that the same mistakes are not made again. Now let’s be honest: it is not normal for someone of 28 to suddenly be in a coma in his cell?”

Pizza delivery

Amah Ayité comes from Togo, but has lived in our country with his parents and sisters since 2002. He worked for a while as a pizza delivery person in Ghent, but was convicted of theft last year. Petty theft, but the judge ruled that the young man should be interned because he had mental problems.

“It was difficult for him in recent years. He was clearly not feeling well. We tried to help him, but it was very difficult”

Sisters of Amah

“He was one of the sweetest boys you could imagine,” his sisters say. “But he had a hard time in recent years. He was clearly not feeling well. He converted to Islam, and continued to advance in his religion. He also seemed depressed, confused. We tried to help him, but it was very difficult. He did not accept help, and he seemed to avoid contact with us.”

Care team

“We can say very little because there is an ongoing judicial investigation and because it concerns a medical file,” responds Tom Van Wynsberge, the spokesperson for the Prison Service. “As far as we know, there is nothing in the report about the young man that would indicate anyone was negligent. On the contrary, the care team that helped care for the man was very upset when it became known that he had died. The judicial investigation will now have to determine whether incorrect assessments or negligence occurred.”

The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office confirms that an investigation has indeed been launched into the unexpected death of Amah Ayité. “A medical examiner has been appointed. For the time being, there is no indication of foul play or third party intervention in the man’s death. But the investigation is still ongoing,” it said.

“For the time being, there is no indication of foul play or third party intervention in the man’s death. But the investigation is still ongoing”

East Flanders Public Prosecutor’s Office

This new serious ‘incident’ is the third in a short period of time in Belgian prisons. Previously there was the scandal of the days-long torture of a detainee by fellow prisoners in Antwerp and in the prison of Sint-Gillis, prisoners were forced by fellow detainees to anally hide packets of drugs.

The office of the Minister of Justice Van Tigchelt expresses its condolences to the family, but is awaiting the investigation into the circumstances, they let us know.