'Citizens UK' - Facilitating the Deportation Process
According to the latest HMCIP report on 'Sandford House' short-term holding facility located in Solihull, Citizens UK are now providing training to UKBA agents 'Reliance', who manage the facility; in how to be nice to people who are about to be detained with a certainty of deportation. The report is clear that 'Reliance' are worse than the previous mangers G4S

Citizens UK's ethos seems to be, that giving diversity training to Reliance staff, improves removals, removals that Citizen UK seem willing to support as long as they are done in a nice manner.

'No-Deportations 'are like tens of thousand of others resident, legally or otherwise in the UK are opposed to all deportations.

Detention and deportation, no matter how angelic the actions of those detaining and deporting do not make them any more acceptable.

Will Citizens UK, come clean on how much they are now involved in the UK deportation process. Do they have any direct contracts with UKBA or Reliance? How much money if any, have they received to date for diversity training?

Citizens UK have been asked to comment on their involvement in the deportation process, but so far have declined to reply.

Citizens UK say they are a 'powerful alliance of local Community Organising groups in London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham & Birmingham. We bring together churches, mosques and synagogues; schools, colleges and universities; unions, think-tanks and housing associations; GP surgeries, charities and migrant groups to work together for the common good.'

Their 'Common good' is good for some but not good for the disadvantaged, those foreign nationals in the UK, who do not have or cannot get leave to remain.

Doing good to legitimize bad is not acceptable, Citizens UK and Barnardo's should be ashamed of themselves and need to withdraw from facilitating the deportation process.

Cameroon: Court Upholds Unjust 'Homosexuality' Conviction
A Cameroonian appeals court decision on December 17, 2012, upholding a criminal conviction for homosexuality demonstrates that basic human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are under assault in Cameroon, Human Rights Watch said today. The court upheld the conviction and three-year prison sentence for Roger Jean-Claude Mbede, a university student charged with homosexuality, and ordered his arrest.
Read more: Human Rights Watch, 18th December 2012

Curbing Violence in Nigeria: The Jos Crisis

Since 2001, violence has erupted in Jos city, capital of Plateau state, in NigeriaÕs Middle Belt region. The ostensible dispute is over the ÒrightsÓ of the indigene Berom/Anaguta/Afizere (BAA) group and the rival claims of the Hausa-Fulani settlers to land, power and resources. Indigene-settler conflicts are not new to Nigeria, but the country is currently experiencing widespread intercommunal strife, which particularly affects the Middle Belt. The Jos crisis is the result of failure to amend the constitution to privilege broad-based citizenship over exclusive indigene status and ensure that residency rather than indigeneity determines citizensÕ rights. Constitutional change is an important step to defuse indigene-settler rivalries that continue to undermine security. It must be accompanied by immediate steps to identify and prosecute perpetrators of violence, in Jos and other parts of the country. Elites at local, state and federal level must also consistently implement policies aimed at reducing the dangerous link between ethnic belonging and access to resources, power and security if intercommunal violence is to end.
Read more: ICG Africa Report N¡196 17 Dec 2012

Garden Court Chambers 0 Immigration Law Bulletin - Issue 305

Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FC) Advise against all travel to: Iran, Mali, Somalia, Syria, Yemen

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

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/

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 one 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

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

Barack Obama's tears for the children of Newtown are in stark contrast to his silence over the children murdered by his drones

"Mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts É These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change." Every parent can connect with what President Barack Obama said about the murder of 20 children in Newtown, Connecticut. There can scarcely be a person on earth with access to the media who is untouched by the grief of the people of that town.

It must follow that what applies to the children murdered there by a deranged young man also applies to the children murdered in Pakistan by a sombre American president. These children are just as important, just as real, just as deserving of the world's concern. Yet there are no presidential speeches or presidential tears for them, no pictures on the front pages of the world's newspapers, no interviews with grieving relatives, no minute analysis of what happened and why.
George Monbiot, The Guardian, Monday 17 December 2012