Dear IRR News subscriber,

This week, regular contributor, John Grayson, continues his analysis of G4S and its provision of asylum housing. We have a report on the death of 43-year-old Tahir Mehmood who died last week in Manchester Pennine House (a short term holding centre near Manchester airport). New research has been published, Precarious Lives, which examines the forced labour experiences of undocumented workers.

We also highlight the plight of a dual national, Ali Aarrass, currently on hunger strike in Morocco.

In news from across the UK, five refugees have had their convictions for carrying false passports to enter the UK overturned by the Court of Appeal in a ruling which could effect at least a 1,000 others. Samuel Sorinwa, an asylum seeker on hunger strike, could die within 24-hours if he is not released from Harmondsworth.

There has been widespread condemnation of the latest Home Office PR stunt to encourage ‘illegal’ migrants to ‘go home’; the Refugee and Migrant Forum of East London (RAMFEL) has sent a ‘letter before claim’ warning of tensions created by the campaign and a Labour peer has reported the ads to the Advertising Standards Authority.

Finally, there is a meeting this Saturday, in Tottenham, to mark twenty years since the death of Joy Gardner and two years since the death of Mark Duggan.

Harmit Athwal

Editor, IRR News