‘Children with Down’s syndrome and autism were among those left for hours in court cells while they waited for legal representation or transport, a custody watchdog has revealed in a damning report.’
The Guardian, 7th August 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A controversial immigration detention centre where several deaths have occurred in recent years is to close.’
The Guardian, 23rd July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The High Court recently dismissed a claim of incompatibility with Article 5 ECHR arising from a detention of a minor for his own protection in the case of Archer v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2020] EWHC 1567 (QB).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 14th July 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Detainees, including children, are still being routinely handcuffed in custody in a practice described as “inappropriate and very concerning”.’
BBC News, 1st July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘This case concerns the impact of the coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic on the execution of European Arrest Warrants (EAWs). Extradition is presently impossible due to travel restrictions that have been imposed across Europe. The judgment considered the legality of repeated short-term extensions to the ten-day period in which extradition on an EAW must take place. Under Article 23 of the Framework Decision, extradition can be lawfully postponed where there are serious humanitarian reasons to do so, or where removal is prevented by circumstances beyond the control of any Member State. The court held that the coronavirus pandemic is capable of satisfying either criteria. A requested person is not entitled to be notified of any application to extend the extradition period, or to make representations at a hearing. However, in the present circumstances it is good practice to notify a requested person of any extension and to allow them access to legal representation.’
5SAH, 23rd June 2020
Source: www.5sah.co.uk
‘Pain-inducing restraint techniques should only be used on children in custody as an “absolute exception” to save life or prevent serious harm, a long-awaited review has concluded, though it has stopped short of calling for an outright ban.’
The Guardian, 19th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Home Office is being investigated over whether it breached equality law when it introduced the “hostile environment” immigration measures that caused catastrophic consequences for thousands of Windrush generation residents living legally in the UK.’
The Guardian, 12th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘When a provision of legislation is held to be incompatible with a Convention right, a Minister of the Crown “may by order make such amendments to the primary legislation as he considers necessary”. This power to take remedial action, contained within section 10 of the Human Rights Act (HRA), applies when a domestic court finds an incompatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and also when the Minister considers a provision of legislation incompatible with the Convention “having regard to a finding of the European Court of Human Rights” (ECtHR). A recent draft remedial order laid before Parliament aims to remedy an incompatibility of the latter kind, following the ECtHR’s judgment in Hammerton v United Kingdom no. 6287/10 ECHR 2016. The draft remedial order is of particular interest because it purports to amend the Human Rights Act itself.’
UK Human Rights Act, 11th June 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Anthony Bryan had lived and worked in Britain for 50 years when he was suddenly detained and almost deported.’
BBC News, 8th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Serious concerns are emerging over the treatment of children in custody during the coronavirus pandemic, after evidence that some have been spending as little as 40 minutes a day out of their cell.’
The Guardian, 31st May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Under the Detention of Terrorists (Northern Ireland) Order 1972, art 4 an Interim Custody Order was made where the Secretary of State considered that an individual was involved in terrorism. On foot of an ICO, the person was taken into custody and had to be released within 28 days, unless the Chief Constable referred the matter to the Commissioner, who had the power to make a detention order if satisfied that the person was involved in terrorism.’
UKSC Blog, 13th May 2020
Source: ukscblog.com
‘Immigration Law Update with articles from Kate Jones, Tori Adams, Daniel Wand, Ben Haseldine and Jyoti Wood.’
4 King's Bench Walk, 5th May 2020
Source: www.4kbw.co.uk
‘Kate Aubrey-Johnson of the Garden Court Criminal Defence Team and Dr Laura Janes of The Howard League for Penal Reform, have prepared a practitioner’s guide on ending the detention of children during the COVID-19 lockdown period.’
Garden Court Chambers, 1st May 2020
Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk
‘The number of people held in UK immigration removal centres has dropped by more than two thirds during the pandemic, figures reveal.’
BBC News, 7th May 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Home Office has been accused of interfering with the independence of the judiciary after it emerged that judges were asked to provide written explanations for a rise in the number of detainees released from immigration centres during the Covid-19 pandemic.’
The Guardian, 6th May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘At the start of the year, some 1,200 immigrants were being held in immigration detention in the UK. The power to detain immigrants is separate from detention of individuals as part of a criminal sentence. There is a presumption against detention of immigrants and immigration detention, which can only be in accordance with one of the statutory powers (the majority of which are contained in the Immigration Act 1971 and the Immigration and Asylum Act 2002), and is allowed in the interests of maintaining effective immigration control, for example, to effect removal; to establish a person’s identity or the basis of their immigration claim; or where there is reason to believe that the person will fail to comply with any conditions attached to a grant of immigration bail.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 30th April 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Whilst the current pandemic has affected us all, those in detention are impacted in particularly harmful ways. Visits to immigration removal centres have been suspended, and those with COVID-19 symptoms are effectively placed in solitary confinement. The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights has called for immigration detainees to be released, as many States have had to suspend removals and it is unclear when these might be resumed. The primary goal of immigration detention is to effect removal, and so continued detention as such may seem arbitrary.’
One Pump Court, 21st April 2020
Source: onepumpcourt.co.uk
‘COVID-19 is a dangerous reality for prisoners. As of 18 April 2020, confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over half of prisons in England and Wales. There have been 13 suspected COVID-19 deaths among prisoners[1]. Amongst this wider concern, those who are pregnant and children in custody may be particularly anxious during this unprecedented time.’
One Pump Court, 21st April 2020
Source: onepumpcourt.co.uk
‘Perhaps the first significant issue arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic to come before the Administrative Court has been the question of the continued legality of immigration detention in the face of the risks and practical difficulties arising from the crisis. The pandemic raises two stark issues affecting the legality of immigration detention; on the one hand, that detainees may face an increased risk of infection by reason of the “congregate” setting of detention centres, and on the other that removals in the short term will be impossible and that the prospects of removal are at best uncertain even in the medium term.’
Landmark Chambers, 15th April 2020
Source: www.landmarkchambers.co.uk
‘The applicant in Hafeez is a sixty-year old man with a number of health conditions, including diabetes and asthma. He was arrested pursuant to a request by the US Government for his extradition on drugs charges. He challenges the decision to extradite him, arguing that his pre-conviction and post-conviction detention conditions in the US would be inhuman and degrading; and that there is a real risk that he would be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th April 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
© Inner Temple Library 2020