A recent legal judgment over deporting Libyans calls into question the protection afforded by Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). On 27 April 2007, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) gave its judgment on the appeals of two Libyan men facing deportation to Libya on the grounds that they are a risk to the national security of
Theme: Employment
Former jurors welcome SIAC decision
Earlier this week when the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) ruled that Algerian, Moulod Sihali, was not a threat to national security and that he faced the possibility of torture if he was returned to Algeria, jurors from his former trial were amongst those celebrating. Moulod Sihali had been acquitted of charges in the ‘ricin
Germany: intelligence services target Muslims
As the UK government publishes new proposals to combat violent Muslim extremism, we examine two reports critical of the German approach. Since September 11, European security services have been given unprecedented powers to define which Muslim organisations are ‘legitimate’ and which ‘illegitimate’. Two new publications from internationally-respected bodies are critical of the crude way in
Security and Insecurity
A recent report assesses the impact of anti-terrorism measures on refugees and asylum seekers. The latest research report from the Refugee Council has found that refugees and asylum seekers also feel threatened by terrorist attacks. Also, they do support anti-terrorist measures but believe that the vast majority of such policies have had a negative impact
Community responses to the war on terror
The Institute of Race Relations publishes a briefing paper on the ways in which community organisations are combating the fall-out – in terms of racial violence, Islamophobia, anti-terror policing and human rights abuses – from the war on terror. Since September 11 2001 and, especially since the London attacks of 7/7, community organisations in the
Urgent action for ‘disappeared’ Algerians
Amnesty International has issued an urgent appeal on behalf of two men who were deported from the UK in the last weeks of January and are currently being held without access to lawyers or their families. The men, who had been labelled as ‘suspected terrorists’ by the UK government, were deported as ‘threats to national
Return of Algerian refugees
Below we reproduce a statement by Gareth Peirce (of Birnberg Peirce & Partners), a solicitor for a number of Algerian men, ‘suspected terrorists’ who have variously been detained without trial or placed under house arrest. The men ‘voluntarily left’ the United Kingdom at the weekend. ‘Fewer than a handful of Algerian refugees are consciously choosing
Fighting a ghost
An Algerian national security detainee speaks out against his indefinite detention in the UK. On 12 January, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), will hear from the lawyers for Reda Dendani, an Algerian national security detainee. He was first held under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act provisions which were declared illegal by the House
Teachers – we need your help!
Do you teach citizenship at key stages 3 or 4? The Institute of Race Relations is hoping to develop some teaching materials for the citizenship curriculum based around the themes of identity, the role of media, political participation and campaigning, using its Black history collection. If you are willing to help us by participating in
Profiling Muslim students is unlawful in Germany
British universities are being asked to inform Special Branch of the suspicious behaviour of ‘Asian-looking and Muslim’ students. But a court in Germany has already ruled that profiling Arab students, in the name of countering terrorism, is incompatible with the German Constitution. Post-September 11, Germany developed the most extensive systems of religious and racial profiling