The 25 October inquest verdict of unlawful killing of Jay Abatan, killed in an unprovoked attack in January 1999, raises the possibility of new charges. Jay Abatan was attacked after a night out with his brother and a friend in Brighton. He was punched twice and fell to the ground hitting his head and died
Theme: Health
David Burgess – an appreciation
David (also known as Sonia) Burgess, an immigration lawyer who died in tragic circumstances on 25 October 2010, will long be remembered for his pioneering work defending the rights of migrants and asylum seekers. The firm he helped to set up in 1975, Winstanley Burgess, soon set the standard for all legal aid immigration practices
Roll call of deaths of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants, 2005 onwards
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
Dispatches from the dark side
In this series of essays the solicitor Gareth Peirce, who over decades has represented people subjected to the most egregious human rights violations in the UK, has laid bare the frightening current picture of legal and governmental practice in the UK and the US which shames our civilisation. The essays, which were previously published in
Families on the march
On Saturday families from across the UK will meet in London for the twelfth remembrance procession for those that have died in police, prison and psychiatric custody. The United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC) is a coalition of the families and friends of those that have died in custody, and includes the families of Leon
New stringent English language requirements
New immigration rules imposing more stringent conditions on the entry of spouses and partners of British citizens are causing alarm to migrants and human rights groups. The amendments, which are to come into force on 29 November, require visa applicants seeking to join British or settled husbands, wives or civil partners in the UK to
‘London Sugar & Slavery’
A new book documenting London’s part in the transatlantic slave trade has been published as part of a permanent exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands. ‘London Sugar & Slavery’ tells the story of how the capital was once the fourth largest slaving port in the world. Using personal accounts, documents and photographs it details
Asylum seekers wrongly imprisoned
A recent case[1] reveals that refugees are still being prosecuted and imprisoned for using false documents in their quest for safety, eleven years after the courts declared the practice unlawful. An Iranian man goes on a demonstration and is beaten up, detained and tortured for sixteen days. Relatives organise his escape, and he is bundled
Germany has failed multiculturalism not vice versa
Angela Merkel tells a CDU conference that multiculturalism in Germany has ‘utterly failed’, yet Germany has not even tried it. Germany has until recently not extended citizenship rights to its many Turkish residents, or even to the descendants of the Gastarbeiter who were born on its soil, unlike the UK which gave citizenship automatically to
Inspired art by detained people
The latest Koestler Trust exhibition of ‘offender’ art is currently on show at the Royal Festival hall, Southbank in London. Approximately 150 pieces of art created by those held at prisons, removal centres, young offenders’ institutes and secure mental hospitals in the UK and people in contact with the probation service, are being exhibited until