A 33-year-old Ghanaian migrant, Frederick Ofosu, who was facing deportation from Malta has committed suicide, according to The Times of Malta.
According to reports, he was forced to “feel like a criminal” by a new immigration policy in that country.
Ofosu who had stayed in Malta for over eight years was found strangled with an electric cable in a Qawra building site on Saturday night. He left a recorded message for friends explaining his despair, saying he was being forced to feel like a criminal when he had done no wrong.
Mr. Ofosu is reported as having gone to Malta eight years ago, leaving Ghana because of extreme poverty.
He worked for a number of years, but after he lost his job he was faced with a number of demands from the authorities, including documentation he could never provide, said Ahmed Bugri, director for the Foundation for Shelter and Support for Migrants.
Dr Bugri who identified the victim together with a Ghanaian embassy official, said the government’s decision to review the so-called THPn system had forced him to the edge.
Last year, Mr Ofosu was handed a one-year suspended sentence by the court after pleading guilty to causing damage to a St Paul’s Bay apartment.
Looming in a world of indecision, and driven to despair amid rising rents, many migrants are now resorting to drastic measures, Dr Bugri warned, adding there had been a rise in admissions to Mount Carmel mental hospital.
“Frederick’s death has sent shockwaves among the migrant community, especially in Marsa. It will traumatise those that aren’t stable.”
