Leonard Farruku was found dead on December 12 on the accommodation barge moored at Portland in the southeast of England. He is thought to have ended his own life in a shower room.

The young man's body was repatriated to Albania with the help of more than £18,000 raised by his family in a crowdfunding campaign.

On Wednesday (January 10), an imam said prayers as Farruku’s coffin was lowered into a grave at a burial site near Tirana, Reuters reported. "My dearest brother that I will never see again. You will always be in our hearts," sister Marsida said, as she threw soil over his coffin.

The young man’s death led to heightened criticism of the UK government’s decision to house several hundred asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm in Dorset while their asylum claims are processed. 

The Home Office described Farruku’s death as a tragic incident, saying: "Our thoughts are with everyone affected." It added that it takes the welfare of those in its care very seriously and has rigorous safeguarding processes in place. 

But after the funeral, Farruku's aunt Drita Kapllani told Reuters that her nephew had complained about the conditions on board. "[Leonard] said he was treated very badly there ... like an animal. Our souls and our hearts will have peace only when the truth is out," she said.

Also read: MSF begins treating asylum seekers at UK former barracks

'He went there for a better life'

Farruku's family said he was calm and a hard worker who had been encouraged by the success of other family members who had made it to the UK.

"He went there for a better life," said Marenglen Farruku, Leonard's cousin. "He never showed any sign of distress ...there are so many unanswered questions about what has happened there (on the barge)."

One relative told Reuters that Farruku thought his asylum claim would be fast-tracked if he went onto the barge, but he had become disillusioned once on board the vessel. Family members also said that he complained of feeling like he was permanently being watched and was unable to move around.

Another of Leonard Farruku’s sisters, Jola Dushku, who lives in Italy, previously told The Guardian newspaper that her brother had no known mental health problems before he was put on the Bibby Stockholm. "He was a very sympathetic person, he was full of humor and above all he was very straightforward," she told the paper, adding: "He had lots of friends in Albania and maintained strong relationships with them."

Farruku’s former roommate on the vessel, Yusuf Deen Kargbo, described Leonard as a "nice and kind man who always smiled and said hello." Now living in hostel accommodation in Wales, the 20-year-old from Sierra Leone warned that the stress among asylum seekers on the barge is increasing and he is concerned that others may harm themselves if the problems are not dealt with. 

With Reuters

Also read: Barges and cruise ships – are they suitable housing for asylum seekers?