200 Migrants Clash at Calais Camp
A clash between about 200 migrants trying to get to Britain from the northern French port city of Calais left seven injured early on Saturday. The fight near a tent camp between migrants from Afghanistan and Eritrea left one with a broken leg. Others suffered superficial wounds, police union official Gilles Debove said. Calais is the destination of choice for migrants trying to sneak by lorry or ferry across the Channel. Many reached Europe via Italy.

The clash grew out of a dispute that erupted during the evening meal serving after someone pushed in to the food queue. Tensions were high because of tough winter living conditions and slow lorry traffic that diminished chances to sneak to Britain, said Christian Salome of the Auberge des Migrants association, which distributes meals.
Read more: Guardian, 04/01/15

Organised Crime & Conflict: The New Challenge For Peacebuilding
1.5 billion people (about one quarter of the worldÕs population) continue to live in fear of violence. War, characterised by formal peace agreements and U.N. peacekeeping operations, is being replaced by insecurity caused by urban and cross-border crime, such as drugs, human trafficking and gun trade. According to the report, such violence poses one of the biggest threats to development in the 21st century. In addition, experts are warning of a new epidemic caused by a rise in the number of Òfragile citiesÓ in the world Ð spaces where violence is flourishing and creating humanitarian crises on par with war zones.

This presents a serious problem for those of us involved in building peace. Are we working in the right places? Are we tackling the right problems? Engaging the right actors? Because of its changing face, much of todayÕs violence takes place in middle income countries that are not the traditional stomping ground of the peacebuilding sector (Mexico and Jamaica, for example). And in the Òfragile statesÓ more familiar to peacebuilding organisations (Mali, Colombia and Afghanistan, to name a few) the new cocktail of motivations for violence presents new challenges.
Read more: Phil Champain, TRF, <> 08/12/14

Inquest Into Death of Tahir Mehmood in Pennine House IRC

RAPAR calls lobby outside inquest into death of Tahir Mehmood

9:30 am Lobby Wednesday 7th January 2015
Inquest begins 10am
Council Chamber,
Manchester Town Hall Extension,
Albert Square,
Manchester.

RAPAR is calling a lobby outside the inquest into the death of Tahir Mehmood, a 45 year old man who died at Pennine House detention centre, Manchester Airport, on 26th July 2013.

The inquest begins at 10 am in the Council Chamber at Manchester Town Hall Extension, Albert Square, on Wednesday, January 7th 2015. It is expected to last for several days.

The lobby will start at 9.30am.

For more information on the lobby, please contact: Kath Grant 07758386208 or Rhetta Moran 07776264646

SSHD 'Acted Unlawfully' in Three Year 'False Imprisonment'
The Claimant, a Portuguese national, was subject to two deportation orders from the SSHD. The Claimant claimed that 'the Defendant (SSHD) was not entitled to make a second deportation order on the 9th July 2013 following the revocation of an earlier order, an order quashing the second deportation order and damages for false imprisonment for a violation of his article 5 rights in respect for his detention from September 2010 to November 2013."

At the hearing on the dates of the 28th and 29th October, His Honour Judge Bidder QC stated that; ÒIt is for the person detaining to justify the detention and to show that there was a power to detain and that that power was exercised properly. The Defendant should clearly have considered prior to detaining and at all times when the issue of continuing detention had to be considered, precisely what power was being used to detain and how that power should have been correctly exercised. I suspect that the problems which have arisen following the provision of answers to those requests for particulars indicate that insufficient consideration (if any at all) was given in the past by the officers in the Defendant's department to the necessity at all times to be clear what power of detention was being used. The Claimant's case is that that was not done and that the Defendant is unable to justify the detention.'

Furthermore, His Honour Judge Bidder QC held that; 'The second deportation order was both unlawful when made and that detention in the period from its making to the date of release of the Claimant was unlawful. Overall, I find that the Claimant's detention from 18th October 2010 to the 13th November 2013 was unlawful and that he was falsely imprisoned and imprisoned in breach of article 5 of the ECHR during that period'.

Toufique Hossain, Public Law Director at Duncan Lewis, who represented the Claimant stated; 'This is an exceptional victory. The Home Secretary has been found to have acted unlawfully in falsely imprisoning our client for over three years. The Home OfficeÕs woeful failure to justify detention on any basis is contrary to one of the established pillars of English law: the right to liberty unless lawfully justified'.

The Legal Team at Duncan Lewis representing the Claimant: Toufique Hossain, Sheroy Zaq. Source, Duncan Lewis Blog

UKHO Detention Capacity

As of 30th December 2014 there are a total of 3,915 bed spaces, in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) and Short Term Holding Facilities (STHFs).

A sizable number of prison bed spaces are occupied by persons off the end of criminal sentences (have reached their release date) and continue to be detained as immigration offenders, awaiting deportation or transfer to a detention centre. UKBA no longer release the numbers of those held in prison/police cells as immigration offenders.

Seven IRCs and 4 STHFs are owned/managed or managed by private corporations, three IRCs owned by the Prison Service/managed under Detention Centre Rules (DCR).

Campsfield House IRC MITIE care and custody Bed spaces: 216 male detainees

Harmondsworth IRC GEO Group Bed spaces 615 male detainees

Dungavel House IRC GEO Bed spaces 217 Mixed, male, female

Yarl's Wood IRC Serco Bed spaces 406 Female detainees

Colnbrook IRC Serco Bed spaces 408 male detainees ( STHC 40 beds male/40 beds female)

Brook House IRC G4S Bed spaces 426 male detainees

Tinsley House IRC G4S Bed spaces 157 Male Detainees

Larne House STHF Reliance Bed spaces 19

Dover IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 316 male detainees

Haslar IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 160 male detainees

Morton Hall IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 392 male detainees

HMP The Verne HM Prison Service Bed spaces 214 male detainees

Pennine House Manchester STHF      Reliance Bed spaces 32

Larne House, Antrim

Cedars Pre-departure accommodation 44

UKHO CIG - Bangladesh: Women

UKHO CIG - Somalia: Security and humanitarian situation i

UKHO CIG - Vietnam: Religious Minority Groups

UKHO CIG - Vietnam: Ethnic Minority Groups

UKHO CIG - Vietnam: Opposition to the Government