In The Press

In the ‘Off the Grid’ feature entitled ‘Haven of Despair’, TNT World discusses the state of immigration detention in the UK. More than 77,000 asylum seekers currently reside in the UK – an increase of 50% in the last 5 years – and 22% of these are detained in immigration removal centres (IRC) across the country. These IRCs operate by implementing indefinite detention, meaning a detainee will be held until removal can be instigated or their detention is successfully challenged. Toufique Hossain is a Director of Public Law and Immigration & Asylum at Duncan Lewis and he states that many detainees were victims of torture or persecution in their country of origin. He warns that these vulnerable individuals should not be detained as it can cause them to relive trauma, affecting their mental health and wellbeing. Former client Abdul Albashir talks about his experience of abuse. He was imprisoned for protesting against government policies in his home country and subsequently tortured. He bears more than 260 scars as proof of that torture which was verified by a medical professional. This is the type of evidence which is put together as part of the Rule 35 report which is carried out to determine whether a detainee is suspected to have been a victim of torture, has suicidal thoughts or their health would be adversely affected by being detained. Despite the fact that Abdul was found to be a vulnerable individual, he was held in detention with a risk of removal for more than 6 years after entering the UK at the age of 18. In light of this, Duncan Lewis represented him in his claim for unlawful detention. Toufique states: “People who are under immigration powers are detained in the UK. Many of those are vulnerable people…The Law should protect [vulnerable] people from detention. The Home Office should accept that those people should not be detained.”