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Detention places human rights in peril, warns refugee charity

June 14 2005

Increasing use of detention centres threatens to criminalise asylum seekers and undermine the UK’s commitment to human rights, a leading refugee agency has warned.

Refugee Action is deeply concerned by the Government’s announcement that the site of a planned 750-bed accommodation centre near Bicester, Oxfordshire, may be used instead to build a new detention centre.

The news comes just days after the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, Alvaro Gil-Robles, warned that too much use was being made of detention in asylum cases and that the increased reliance on detention “placed human rights in peril.”

Refugee Action recently opened an office in Bicester to work in partnership with the local community.

Sandy Buchan, Chief Executive of Refugee Action, said:

“We are dismayed that, just days after being warned by the Council of Europe about the human rights implications of detention centres, the Government appears to be considering building more of them. An increasing reliance on detention threatens to criminalise asylum seekers, who have done nothing wrong in seeking safety here. Those seeking asylum should be deprived of their liberty only as a last resort.”

Recent asylum legislation has already introduced a string of punitive measures, including tough new restrictions on legal aid and appeal rights, fast-tracking of claims for some asylum applicants and possible jail terms for those who arrive undocumented.

Sandy Buchan explained:

“Rather than pouring resources into deterrence, detention and removal, the Government should be concentrating on improving the speed and quality of Home Office decision making and ensuring that asylum seekers are able to get a full and fair hearing of their case. A robust and efficient asylum system is one that is based on protecting refugees, not punishing them.”

He added:

“Our priority now will be to continue to work with community groups in Oxfordshire to uphold the rights of asylum seekers and to ensure that, whatever happens, they are able to access the support and advocacy they need.”

ENDS

For more information, or to request an interview, please call the press office on 020 7654 7714 or 07810 757 752 (out of hours).

Notes to editors:

Report by Mr Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights, on his visit to the UK, 4 – 12 November 2004
http://www.poptel.org.uk/statewatch/news/2005/jun/coe-uk-report.pdf
As at 25 December 2004, 1,515 people were being detained under Immigration Act powers, of whom 13 per cent had been detained for four months or more. Including dependents, a total of 14,715 asylum seekers were removed in 2004.
Source: Home Office Asylum Statistics: 4th Quarter 2004 United Kingdom
Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and received 30,000 visits from asylum seekers last year. As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 24 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.

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