An Armenian asylum seeker who arrived in the Netherlands last December has committed suicide in woods near the refugee centre where he lived in Deventer, the NRC reports on Wednesday.

The man, who had serious psychiatric problems, was under the supervision of the Dutch state but was not given any specialist help because he was due to be deported to Germany, the NRC says.

Last year, junior justice minister Fred Teeven promised the immigration service would adopt a more ‘humane’ approach to asylum seekers, following the suicide of Russian man Aleksandr Dolmatov at the beginning of 2013.

Dublin agreement

According to the Armenian’s lawyer, he was not being treated by psychiatrists because he had earlier applied for asylum in Germany and was about to be sent back there. Under an EU law known as the Dublin agreement, asylum seekers must request refugee status in the first EU country in which they arrive.

‘He said he felt calmer in the Netherlands but the IND simply followed procedures, without any attention to his problems,’ lawyer Eva van den Hombergh told the NRC. The paper says he had a residency permit for Germany.

MPs have demanded Teeven make a statement about the case.

The IND issued a statement saying it regretted what had happened. The man had been seen by several medical personnel who did not think he should be immediately hospitalised, the statement said.