By Berk Kutay Gokmen
ISTANBUL (AA) – The death of an Aboriginal youth in an Australian prison has raised concern over such tragedies among the Indigenous people.
The Australian Department of Justice said the 31-year-old Aboriginal man was found unresponsive in his cell at the Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison in Western Australia on Wednesday.
The department stated that the prisoner was transported to Kalgoorlie Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, noting that there were “no suspicious circumstances” regarding his death.
Gerry Georgatos, an academic and human rights advocate, said the tragedy highlighted a larger issue, ABC News reported.
"The median age of unnatural deaths in WA prisons is very young for First Nations people,” Georgatos said, adding, “That goes to the very heart of the issue."
"We've got to ask ourselves: how is it that 25–30-year-olds, or in this case a 31-year-old, are dying in our prisons while in the bloom years of life?" he added.
The local authorities are investigating the incident. The man's death is the 14th in custody in Australia this year and the fourth involving an Indigenous prisoner.
Nearly 600 Indigenous people have died in custody since 1991.