Freedom of Information request - Longest lengths of Detention Q3
As at 30 September 2012, National Statistics show that of the 3,091 people currently detained solely under Immigration Act powers in immigration removal centres, short term holding facilities and pre departure accommodation the 20 longest recorded lengths of detention are:
1,528 days - 4.1 years one male 1,430 days - 3.9 years one male
1,256 days - 3.4 years one male 1,065 days - 2.9 years one male
1,035 days - 2.8 years on male 1,025 days - 2.8 years one female
1,004 days - 2.7 years one male 982 days - 2.6 years one male
971 days - 2.6 years one male 941 days - 2.5 years on male
936 days - 2.5 years one male 927 days - 2.5 years one male
926 days - 2.5 years one male 888 days - 2.4 years one male
879 days - 2.4 years one male 843 days - 2.3 years on male
818 days - 2.2 years one male 815 days - 2.2 years one male
801 days - 2.1 years one female 797 days - 2.1 years one male
Iraq: 32% of Children Deprived of Many Basic Services and Rights
The Government of Iraq and UNICEF today launched the results of the most comprehensive survey on the situation of children and women in Iraq. It found that 32 per cent of children under 18 years of age are deprived of many basic services and rights.
"This survey provides extensive data on the situation of children and women in Iraq," said Dr. Ali Yousif Al-Shukri, Iraq's Minister of Planning. "With these findings, we clearly see where we need to focus our investment in the new development plan to further improve the well-being of Iraqi children, who, representing half of Iraq's population today, represent Iraq's future tomorrow."
A key finding of the survey is that major disparities exist between Iraq's 16.6 million children under 18 years of age over their access to health care and nutrition, education, water and sanitation, protection, shelter and information services.
Read more: Reliefweb, 12/12/12
Protest At Belgium Embassy To End Anti-Roma Apartheid
12:00 Noon Friday 14th December 2012
Belgium Embassy
17 Grosvenor Crescent
London SW1
In defence of UN Human Rights Day, Roma are protesting in front of the Belgian Embassy in London against escalating anti-Roma racism in the streets of Europe's capitol and other towns and cities in Belgium.
In an appeal issued yesterday to UN High Commisioner for Human Rights Nathanethem Pillay, the Roma London association thanks Ms Pillay for drawing attention to multiple rights abuses suffered by Europe's 12 million Roma.
The association asks her in particular to look at the host country of the European Union where thousands of Roma have recently taken refuge as a result of increasing impoverishment in south-eastern Europe. Failing economies have given rise to mass unemployment, coupled with anti-Roma intolerance and violence.
It says the instance of arrests among Roma, especially those from Romania and Bulgaria, has risen steeply. Detained for petty offences they then face deportation and further marginalization in their home countries.
From: Dale Farm <dale.farm@btinternet.com>
Stop Chasing Roma. Start Including Them
Nils Muiznieks, Commissioner for Human Rights
EDM 838: Attacks Against Rohingya In Burma
That this House is concerned by the ongoing attacks against the Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority in Burma; notes that attacks have now begun against the Kaman Muslim ethnic minority; further notes that police, state security and national Burmese Army soldiers are reported to be taking part in some of the attacks; isfurther concerned by President Thein Sein's request for international assistance in deporting all Rohingya from Burma which gives encouragement to alleged mobs carrying out the attacks; calls on the Government to support the placement of UN-mandated international observers in Rakhine State; further calls on the Government to work to ensure unrestricted humanitarian access is granted to all Rohingya areas, to support a United Nations Commission of Inquiry into the violence, and to encourage the government of Burma to repeal or amend the 1982 citizenship law which deprives the Rohingya of citizenship.
Sponsors: Vaz, Valerie / Bottomley, Peter / McDonnell, John
House of Commons: 11/12/2012
Inspectors Demand Action On Delayed Deportations
The first joint report by the chief inspectors of prisons and immigration recommends that an independent panel should be set up to review the cases of all individuals who have been held for lengthy periods in detention pending their removal.
It says that 3,500 people were being held in immigration detention on any given day during the first three months of this year. While the courts say it is lawful to hold them while there is a realistic prospect of them being sent home, the inspectors say there is no statutory time limit on how long they can be detained.
The report by Hardwick and John Vine, the chief inspector of immigration, is based on interviews with 81 immigration detainees, most of them former prisoners. It found that the original decision to detain them was defensible, but there had subsequently been insufficient progress in a quarter of the cases.
Read more: Alan Travis, The Guardian, Wednesday 12 December 2012
Early Day Motion 831: Human Rights Abuse In Iran
That this House notes Iran's regime has so far executed over 120,000 political prisoners, the majority affiliated to the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) and tortured hundreds of thousands; is deeply shocked by the recent torture and murder of political opponent Sattar Beheshti;further notes that on 27 November 2012 the UN expressed deep concern at serious human rights violations in Iran relating to torture, the execution of minors, the imposition of the death penalty for moharebeh (enmity against God), rape of political prisoners, restrictions on the right to freedom of thought and worship, pervasive gender inequality and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities; further notes that Iran has ignored international calls to allow UN special rapporteurs to visit and that many political prisoners are incarcerated and executed simply for being related to PMOI members in camps Ashraf and Liberty or providing them with financial support; and urges the Government to condemn human rights abuse in Iran at the highest level, base any economic deals with Iran on improvements in the human rights situation, tighten sanctions against the regime in line with the UK's international partners, bring the regime's human rights dossier before the UN Security Council and call for prosecution of the regime's officials for crimes against humanity.
Sponsors: Binley, Brian/ Bottomley, Peter / Durkan, Mark
House of Commons, 10/12/2012
Santa Arrested in Glasgow - Christmas May have to be Cancelled
After an amazing nine hours blocking the entrance to the UKBA reporting centre in Glasgow, UKBA officials and police have this afternoon, detained an elderly gentleman from the North Pole. Rumours that they plan to deport him have not yet been confirmed. UKBA officials and the police also refuse to comment on how Christmas arrangements will be affected.
Santa managed to stay on the tripod in front of the reporting centre for an amazing nine hours. He took the action today, International Human Rights Day, after the Border Agency detained a family of five last week.
Santa said: "I'm taking this action to stop any more children from being detained by the UKBA like little 4 year old son Shahmer who with his two teenage sisters and mum and dad was arrested in his home last week by the UKBA. I am shocked that children can be locked up in this way when the government pledged they would never do this again."
One of Santa's little helpers was also arrested for not walking out fast enough of the exclusion zone police imposed on the protest during the operation to take him down from the tripod.. Messagfes of support can be sent via Santa's Solidarity Grotto
c/o The UNITY Centre
/ info@unitycentreglasgow.org
Christine Nakata Back in Glasgow Where She Belongs
Christine who was subject to repeated attempts by the UKBA to remove her from the UK has finally been released from Yarl's Wood IRC on Friday.
Christine who has a harrowing story of repeated abuse form her father and then threats from her brothers was then detained and subjected to eight attempts by the UKBA to forcibly remove her. On one occasion after six guards in riot gear had dragged her naked from her cell in an attempt to take her to the airport, over 100 other women detainees held a sit-down protest in the canteen at Yarlswood.
Christine's release is a great victory for the fight she herself put up.
UNITY Centre / info@unitycentreglasgow.org
Background: http://unitycentreglasgow.org/?page_id=572
Garden court Chambers - Immigration Law Bulletin - Issue 304
20 Most Corrupt Countries 2012
Corruption amounts to a dirty tax, and the poor and most vulnerable are its primary victims
Somalia, Korea (North), Afghanistan, Sudan , Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Venezuela, Haiti, Chad, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Laos, DR Congo, Tajikistan, Cambodia, Angola, Yemen,
Governments must prioritise the fight against corruption. Looking at the Corruption Perceptions Index 2012, it's clear that corruption is a major threat facing humanity. Corruption destroys lives and communities, and undermines countries and institutions. It generates popular anger that threatens to further destabilise societies and exacerbate violent conflicts. The Corruption Perceptions Index scores countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). While no country has a perfect score, two-thirds of countries score below 50, indicating a serious corruption problem.
Corruption translates into human suffering, with poor families being extorted for bribes to see doctors or to get access to clean drinking water. It leads to failure in the delivery of basic services like education or healthcare. It derails the building of essential infrastructure, as corrupt leaders skim funds.
Read More: Transparency International
ARC: Commentary UKBA October 2012 Somalia OGN
This commentary identifies the main inconsistencies and omissions between the available country of origin information and case law and the conclusions reached in the current OGN. The commentary is intended as a tool to assist legal practitioners and to help ensure that all relevant material is considered by decision-makers.
To download the document click here . . . .
Source: Asylum Research Consultancy (ARC)
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DR Congo [UK government expresses extreme concern]
Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening): I am extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in eastern DRC. Some 130,000 people in and around Goma have been displaced by the recent violence. Elsewhere in DRC, armed group activity continues to displace large numbers of people, and attacks on civilians are common. There are now 2.4 million displaced people in DRC, up from 1.7 million at the end of 2011. The hon. Lady might be aware that last month I announced an additional £18 million to address humanitarian needs in DRC.
Read more: House of Commons / 12 Dec 2012 : Column 277
EDM 839: Political Arrests And Harassment In Bangladesh
That this House notes the recent arrest of the Acting General Secretary of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) Mr Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as he was leaving the central office of the Party to attend a meeting with the visiting US Assistant Secretary of State Mr Robert Blake at the residence of the BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia; further notes this is part ofa pattern of arrests and harassment of senior political figures in the BNP, including Mr Alamgir, in advance of the elections in 2014; further notes that there appears to be a deteriorating human rights situation in Bangladesh as tensions rise in advance of the elections; expresses its profound concern about these developments; and calls on the Foreign Secretary to urge the Bangladesh government to do all in its power to reverse this situation and to ensure that the road to the elections in 2014 is marked by a new spirit of respect for all political trends and that the run up to the elections and the elections themselves are conducted on a level playing field and are free, fair and participatory
Sponsors: Galloway, George House of Commons: 11/12/2012
NACCOM - No Accommodation Network
An informal network of agencies providing accommodation for migrants who have no recourse to public funds. These are people who have been made homeless and destitute. Most have fled persecution, but their asylum claims have been rejected. For a variety of reasons, they cannot return to their homeland. Others are EU migrants who have come here to work, but have not been able to find any, and cannot access the benefit system.
The purpose of NACCOM site is to offer a forum where all who are working to end destitution in the UK amongst asylum seekers and other migrants through accommodation and practical support can share ideas and best practice.We want to extend the network so that there is a project in every city and town where there are destitute asylum seekers and migrants. We also want to ensure that no-one has to spend a night on the streets, and that there is hope for the future.
http://naccom.org.uk/
Greece - Guilty of Discrimination Against Roma Children
Failure of Greek authorities to integrate Roma children into the ordinary education system amounted to discrimination against them
In today's Chamber judgment in the case of Sampani and Others v. Greece (application no. 59608/09), which is not final", the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been:
A violation of Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights in conjunction with Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 (right to education).
The case concerned the provision of education for Roma children at the 12th Primary School in Aspropyrgos.
The Court, noting the lack of significant change since the Sampanis and Others v. Greece judgment, found that Greece had not taken into account the particular needs of the Roma children of Psari as members of a disadvantaged group and that the operation between 2008 and 2010 of the 12th Primary School in Aspropyrgos, which was attended by Roma pupils only, had amounted to discrimination against the applicants.
Under Article 46 (binding force and execution of judgments), the Court recommended that those of the applicants who were still of school age be enrolled at another State school and that those who had reached the age of majority be enrolled at "second chance schools" or adult education institutes set up by the Ministry of Education under the Lifelong Learning Programme.
Santa Stops Dawn Raid By Immigration Officials!
Santa Claus, with the help of some of his elves, has erected an 18 foot tall tripod outside the main entrance of the UKBA offices in Glasgow to prevent immigration officials carrying out controversial dawn raids on the families of asylum seekers.
Santa is currently refusing to come down from the tripod, which is decorated with tinsel and Christmas decorations, until the UKBA can promise that no more children will be terrorized by immigration officials breaking into their homes to arrest them.
After Santa got into position (with a little Christmas magic) two dark blue UKBA enforcement vans containing officials setting out to carry out an immigration enforcement action were prevented from leaving. Other immigration officials have been prevented from entering the offices for work. Protesters believe that the vans were on their way to raid another asylum seeker family.
Santa in his traditional red and white costume and with a big white beard is being supported by a group of elves from the Campaign Grotto based at the Unity Centre. Several police are in attendance and so far the atmosphere is very good humoured. Protesters are playing Christmas carols during the action.
Santa said: "I'm taking this action to stop any more children from being detained by the UKBA like little 4 year old son Shahmer who with his two teenage sisters and mum and dad was arrested in his home last week by the UKBA. I am shocked that children can be locked up in this way when the government pledged they would never do this again."
The UNITY Centre
30 Ibrox Street
Glasgow
G51 1AQ
0141 427 7992
www.unitycentreglasgow.org info@unitycentreglasgow.org
Human Rights Day Monday 10th December 2012
Last week saw 72 MPs vote in favour of a motion to repeal the Human Rights Act. So today, on Human Rights Day, 72 civil society groups have written to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister urging them to safeguard the Human Rights Act. As we await the report from the Commission on a UK Bill of Rights, what unites these 72 groups is concern and disappointment that "what should be a healthy debate about how best to secure the human rights of each and every one of us has, for far too long, lacked political leadership." This "jeopardises the progress we have made at home in ensuring that our human rights obligations lead to real change for people in their everyday lives."
Read more: UK Human Rights Blog
However, there are No Human Rights for Those who are 'Stateless'
Today, as the world marks international human rights day, millions of stateless persons continue to live in silence and exclusion, unable to participate in public life as equals, to freely organise and express themselves and to associate with others. The focus of this year's celebration - 'inclusion and the right to participate in public life' – is consequently particularly pertinent to the stateless among us. Under this theme, the provisions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which enshrine the freedom of assembly and association (Article 20), the right to take part in elections, in public life and decision-making (Article 21) and the freedom of expression and opinion (Article 19) are being celebrated, scrutinised and reflected upon worldwide.
Read more: European Network on 'Statelessness'
Excluded From Human Rights in the UK, Refused Asylum Seekers
Thousands of people who have fled some of the world's most dangerous countries are being forced into destitution, begging and prostitution on British streets because they cannot be sent back, the Home Office is warned today.
A large majority of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe are refused asylum, but very few are forcibly returned because their home countries will not accept them or because immigration officers lose track of them.
In a bleak report, the Refugee Council says nearly 25 per cent of failed asylum-seekers who approached it for emergency help over the last two years were from those five countries. Most do not qualify for state support or housing once their asylum applications have been rejected unless they can demonstrate they are planning to leave. But the charity says many are too frightened to return because of the grim human rights situations in their homelands and end up living in the shadows in Britain.
Read more: Independent, Monday 10th December 2012
Afghanistan: Focus on Fighting, Ignore Grim Reality of Daily Life
The Afghan crisis, now well into its fourth decade, has many layers. The military and political dimensions of the crisis grab the headlines. But the structural violence and poor governance that underpin it—grinding poverty, rampant abuse of power, criminalized economy, parlous condition of women and girls, poor access to health and other services—receives much less attention. This report focuses on the lives and vulnerabilities of those affected by the crisis and on the attempts by local and international agencies to mitigate these vulnerabilities within the fraught and volatile Afghan context. It presents an analysis of the humanitarian situation on the ground and of the challenges and constraints faced by the humanitarian community in a fast-moving environment. Its conclusions point to urgent changes required to improve the response to a severe and deepening humanitarian crisis and to protect humanitarian agencies, to the extent possible, from overt politicization and manipulation.
Reliefweb: Humanitarianism in Uncertain Times
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