The High Court has awarded a family, including a one-year-old baby and a child of eight, £150,000 damages after the Home Office accepted that it had unlawfully arrested and detained them. On 9 February 2009, in the face of court proceedings brought by the family, the Home Office accepted that the family’s arrests and subsequent
Issue: Briefing Papers & Reports - UK
Last ditch attempts to save Dale Farm
In a further blow to the Traveller families living at Dale Farm, the Court of Appeal has turned down their appeal application to the House of Lords, the final appeal court in the UK. This follows the Court of Appeal ruling on 22 January which overturned an earlier High Court ruling quashing a decision by
Travellers awaiting court appeal speak of racism and prejudice
Traveller families living on Dale Farm in Essex are facing what they describe as an outpouring of racism and prejudice as they await a Court of Appeal decision on their threatened eviction. The site at Dale Farm houses some ninety families, all of whom will be evicted if Basildon District Council is successful: it is
Detention centre confiscates torture survivor’s guide on detainee rights
A Kenyan asylum seeker held at Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre had a vital self-help guide confiscated by staff days before a crucial deadline for her case. Mercy Wanjiku [1], who fled from torture in Kenya, had three days in which to prepare and submit papers for an oral judicial review and, without a lawyer,
Vigils in memory of Habib Ullah
Last week, members of the local community and family and friends of Habib Ullah, who died after being arrested by police on 3 July, gathered in High Wycombe town centre to hold two vigils in his memory. The vigils were held to provide the local community with more information and to raise awareness about Habib’s
Hillingdon fails to support asylum seeking children
A new report from the Children’s Commissioner for England has criticised the London Borough of Hillingdon for its treatment of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). The Commissioner’s organisation – 11 Million – found that Hillingdon failed to support children in their basic health and educational needs and that decisions were often made without taking into
White man sentenced for murder
On 11 December, Peter Connolly was sentenced to life – with a minimum term of fifteen years in prison – for the murder of Christopher Alaneme, an 18-year-old who died after being stabbed in Sheerness, Kent on 21 April 2006. That night, Christopher, whose Nigerian family had moved from London to Kent because they felt
Gatwick No Border Camp
Next week, campaigners will begin three days of action and campaigning at a protest camp near Brook House, a new removal centre for asylum seekers at Gatwick airport. Organisers say: ‘The camp, the first of its kind in the UK, will be an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences, with numerous workshops, panels and other
Legal action over Harmondsworth public inquiry refusal
Liberty, the civil and human rights organisation, has started legal proceedings on behalf of three detainees held at Harmondsworth removal centre in west London, who alleged that they were mistreated in the aftermath of a disturbance at the centre in November 2006. Liberty’s request for a public inquiry into the disturbance was refused in June
Roll call of deaths of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants, 1989-2010
IRR has, since 1989, been recording the deaths of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants – two of the most vulnerable sections of our society – as a result of attempting to enter the UK, self-harm, denial of medical treatment, destitution, hazardous working conditions or racist attacks. Forced by circumstances beyond their control to seek a