Home Office sued over deportation
The Guardian reported that the Home Office is being sued for false imprisonment and trespass to the person by a 30 year old British man with schizophrenia who was mistaken for a refused asylum seeker and deported to Pakistan. Tula Miah, who is of Bangladeshi origin says that whilst there he was beaten by officials because he could not make himself understood.
How it was covered by the media:
Guardian: Briton sues over deportation as a failed asylum seeker
Eritrean girl killed in knife attack
An Eritrean refugee who had lived in London for the past four years was killed in a knife attack by a man who was infatuated by her. Arsema Dawit's mother publicly accused the police of failing to protect her daughter.
How it was covered by the media:
Times: Arsema Dawit: sweet-natured choirgirl was another victim of knife crime
Times: Refugees from a young state riven with conflict and divided by faith
Telegraph: Mother of stabbed schoolgirl accuses police of failing to protect her daughter
HIV positive woman refused asylum
The European Court of Human Rights rejected an HIV positive Ugandan woman’s claim to stay in the UK, despite her lawyers’ argument that the lack of medical care in her country would lead to her early death. Government lawyers said that HIV drugs were readily available in Uganda.
How it was covered by the media:
BBC News: Court rejects HIV asylum seeker
Stowaways found dead in ship’s hold
The bodies of two African men were found in the hold of a cargo ship that had made an 11 day voyage from Tunisia. Keith Best, chief executive at the Immigration Advisory Service said “it is impossible to say what the motivation was with these men – they could have been looking for a better economic life or have been genuine asylum seekers. The problem is that border controls are now so tight that it’s virtually impossible for people to get into countries which signed up to the Refugees Convention without serious risk to life or limb.”
How it was covered by the media:
Guardian: Stowaways may have been suffocated in ship’s hold
Scotsman: Stowaways sought a basic life but died ‘desperately’ in airless hold
City of Sanctuary holds first national conference
The City of Sanctuary scheme, which works to build relationships between local people and those seeking asylum held its first national conference, aimed at expanding the network of towns and cities across the UK. Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council said “Amid all the hysteria about asylum, there is a story that is often untold, many British people are welcoming to the men, women and children who come to the UK fleeing persecution.”
How it was covered by the media:
Guardian: A city built on sanctuary
24Dash.com: City of Sanctuary scheme to expand network of support for refugees
Latest information from ILPA
The Immigration Law Practitioners' Association published updated information sheets on changes to immigration law. Go to the 'info service' section of their website for the latest additions.
Download information from the ILPA website
Sarkozy calls for EU immigration crackdown
French president Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a Europe-wide clampdown on immigration that would mean asylum seekers would be forced to apply for refugee status in advance of their arrival. The proposals will be at the heart of France’s European Union presidency, which starts in July.
How it was covered by the media:
Financial Times: Sarkozy in call for EU immigrant crackdown
Financial Times: Europe must get immigration right
Calls to close Dungavel
Campaigners and churches demanded the closure of the Dungavel removal centre in Scotland after The Scotsman published a harrowing testimony of a Canadian woman who was detained there with her two year old daughter. John Wilkes, chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council said “Detention, even for a short period, is traumatic and inhumane and can have a serious impact on the physical and mental health of the children and families involved… It is hard to see how it exists in a 21st century Scotland."
How it was covered by the media:
Scotsman: Why this woman’s story shames Scotland
Scotsman: Salmond in talks to force closure of Dungavel centre
Guardian feature on young asylum seekers in Greece
The Guardian ran a feature on the harsh treatment of the increasing numbers of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Greece. The article followed a series of hunger strikes by 100 Afghan children to protest against cramped and unsanitary conditions in their reception centre on the island of Leros near the Turkish coast.
How it was covered by the media:
Guardian: Harsh treatment awaits children fleeing war and persecution
BBC: Victory for Greek hunger strikers
Deportation to Iraq
The Independent reported on the case of an Iraqi who is facing deportation after living in the UK for 35 years. Zyad Al-Saadon was convicted of selling drugs in 2004 and was informed of his deportation after serving 5 years in prison. The newspaper said that “foreign nationals with convictions are seen as easy targets for removal as their cases rarely attract public concern.”
How it was covered by the media:
Independent: ‘I will be dead within days of going back to Baghdad'
Paddington Bear updated
To mark the half century of Paddington Bear his creator Michael Bond published a new story, Paddington Here and Now, in which the refugee bear is interrogated by police over his residency status. The Guardian said that “Britain must always make room for those, like Paddington, who ‘try so hard to get things right’.”
Guardian: In praise of… Paddington Bear
