By Jonathan, Campaigns and Public Affairs Team

Sometimes it is only the bad stories that make the headlines – so it is worth celebrating the victories when they come along, even if they don’t get picked up by the media. And there has been some really good news for Zimbabweans in detention recently.

Despite Gordon Brown’s pledge earlier in the summer that Zimbabwean refugees will not be forcibly returned, there are still an estimated 50 Zimbabweans languishing in detention centres, some for long periods of time.

Until last week there were seven Zimbabweans being held in the Haslar detention centre even though there was no chance that they would be removed from the UK. Initially the Home Office insisted on continuing the detention of the seven men.   

Thanks to the efforts of campaigners and the Haslar Visitors Group, four were released quietly last week, and the remaining three have been granted bail with Canon Nick Sagovsky of Westminster Abbey (a Commissioner on the Independent Asylum Commission) standing as a surety.

So there are now no Zimbabweans left in Haslar – and hopefully this will set a trend and result in the remaining Zimbabweans in other detention centres regaining their liberty.