A guide on what to do in the event of the death of an asylum seeker has been published by the Institute of Race Relations. This 13-page briefing paper, Asylum deaths; what to do next (pdf file, 232kb), by Harmit Athwal, contains information as to where in the system asylum seekers are most at risk
Theme: Education
Algeria seeks extradition of political refugee who denounced terror
An Algerian exile, with refugee rights in Germany, has been arrested in Spain and now faces extradition to Algeria. In 2003, former Algerian colonel Mohammed Samraoui – at the time a political refugee in Germany – published the book Chronique des années de sang (Denoël, Paris). Samraoui, who had deserted from the Department for Information
The friends of Amdani Juma
An anti-deportation campaign has been launched in aid of Amdani Juma, a Burundian refugee who has been refused indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Amdani, a torture survivor, came to the UK in March 2003 as a UN – sponsored asylum seeker and was granted humanitarian protection. Many of his family and friends were
Rights not rhetoric
Politicians talk tough on immigration but fail to recognise Britain’s underlying demand for a highly exploitable workforce. Almost 40 years after Enoch Powell delivered his anti-immigrant ‘rivers of blood’ speech, Britain is still unable to move beyond his grim legacy. In recent weeks, we have returned once more to the old paradigm he popularised –
IRR News develops new ‘learning the lessons’ workshops
Practical workshops, learning from past struggles against racism, are being organised by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) for newly arrived refugee/asylum seeker and migrant groups. Because of the success of the conference and a series of seminars held in 2006 and demand from new user groups, the IRR has received funding to run a
New report criticises age-assessment procedures for asylum-seeking children
Every year, thousands of individuals who arrive in the UK and claim asylum as separated children are age disputed and treated as adults. A new report, released by the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association, examines the reasons why age is disputed, current policy and procedures for the assessment of age by local authorities, and the implications
Building an anti-deportation campaign
A practical, political guide for those fighting to remain in this country has just been produced. The No One is Illegal campaign, based in Bolton, has created a 23-page, simply-written briefing document aimed at those who may face deportation or removal. It explains why using the law is not protection enough – ‘a campaign means
IRR News listed for investigative journalism award
IRR News’ original investigations into the incidence of suicide by asylum seekers was long-listed twice over for the Paul Foot award for campaigning journalism 2007. The research, undertaken by IRR News editor, Harmit Athwal, published as a series of documents on IRR News (Driven to desperate measures, ‘Roll call of deaths of asylum seekers and
Access to healthcare should be a right, not a fight
The government is currently considering charging failed asylum seekers and undocumented migrants for NHS primary health care. A number of civil society organisations are concerned that such charges could prevent vulnerable people, including pregnant women and children, from accessing vital treatment. A briefing paper explaining the proposed changes and their potential impact can be downloaded
Iraqi asylum seeker killed two weeks after return
On 6 September, Solyman Rashed, an asylum seeker who had been deported to Iraq from the UK, was killed by a car bomb in Kirkuk, after only having been back in the country for two weeks. Solyman had been held in various immigration detention centres for fifteen months after being arrested in May 2006 when