Amnesty calls for confirmation of asylum detention figures

Amnesty International has called on the government to confirm the number of asylum seekers held in detention centres.

The call follows the publication of a report by the human rights group, which estimated that over 25,000 asylum seekers, including women and children, were detained in the UK in 2004.

The report, which included visits to most of Britain’s detention centres, as well as interviews with detainees, found that some asylum seekers were held in detention for as long as two years.

Amnesty claimed that the human cost of detention was “frighteningly high” and reported incidents of mental illness, self-harm and suicide attempts among detainees.

The report also claimed that an increasing number of asylum-seekers, whose claims had been “fast-tracked”, were being detained for the duration of the asylum process – a concern which was raised by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe in a report published earlier this month.

Amnesty also reported that asylum-seekers were being detained even though the chances of removal within a reasonable time had been “slim” and found that many refugees had complied with requirements to report regularly to the UK authorities, prior to being detained. Amnesty said that this meant the asylum-seekers presented little risk of absconding – one of the main reasons why the government uses the detention powers.

Amnesty accused the detention centres of being a “bed lottery”, with people being taken in detention on the basis of available beds, instead on other considerations, such as necessity, proportionality and appropriateness.

Amnesty has called on the government to justify the lawfulness of detention in each case as well considering the use of alternative non-custodial measures, such as reporting requirements, before using detention powers.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said that seeking asylum was not a crime, but a right and that "thousands of people who have done nothing wrong are being locked up in the UK".

"We found that in many cases there was no apparent reason to detain people," she said.

Amnesty International are urging that every decision to detain someone should be reviewed by a court or similar independent body.

"People who have sought asylum are being denied justice in the UK,” added Ms Allen.

Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesperson, Mark Oaten, said that report was a "serious embarassment" for the government. He said: "It is a serious embarrassment for the Government that an organisation better known for attacking oppressive regimes has been so critical of conditions in our own detention system. These are asylum seekers, not criminals, yet the Home Office is putting many of them behind bars for no good reason.

"The best way to restore faith in the system is for the courts to review decisions to lock asylum seekers up".

(KMcA/SP)