Dear IRR News subscriber,

Earlier this year, the Swedish linguistics firm Sprakab was criticised in a significant Supreme Court judgment which said that its staff had given ‘wholly inappropriate’ comments to asylum tribunals. Subsequently, concerns were raised that this behaviour may have led to the wrongful deportation of hundreds of asylum seekers.

In this week’s IRR News, Aisha Maniar examines the use of language analysis in asylum claims, focusing on Sprakab in particular. She documents the serious concerns among professional linguists about the value of language analysis in asylum cases. Its use, some critics say, falls within a ‘wider anti-asylum seeker agenda’.

We also report on a demonstration earlier this week outside of the London office of the CPS in protest against its ‘inaction’ over deaths in custody. And finally, the Edge Fund’s latest call for applications from individuals and grassroots groups, in order to support projects which are relevant to communities campaigning on discrimination and injustice, is highlighted.

Jon Burnett

Assistant Editor, IRR News