According to a recent report, refugees who complained about the poor living conditions in the UK’s asylum facilities were “threatened” with deportation to Rwanda. The report entitled Hostile Accommodation: How the Asylum System Is Cruel By Design, relies on 100 in-depth interviews with hotel occupants in London, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Bradford.
Asylum seekers in the UK are required by law to be given housing in order to keep them from becoming homeless. However, the Home Office has contracted with private companies that follow a profit-based business model to supply homes in place of local authorities or housing associations.
According to the report, asylum seekers were also warned not to complain about their poor living circumstances lest they be sent to Rwanda and that the police would be contacted if they did. They were also told they were barred from taking pictures of meals to offer evidence of their quality.
Tere are up to 50,000 individuals held in hotels, where they stay for months or even years while their applications for asylum are processed. At these hotels, the people are held indefinitely, and their freedom of movement and fundamental rights are constrained – ‘a nationwide system of racialised segregation and de facto detention,’ the report stated.
They are forced to survive on £9.50 per week. Many people claim that they have been unable to buy necessities for months as they are prohibited from working.
Other concerns highlighted in the report include:
‘We do not recognise the claims in the report suggesting hospitalisations, threats of deportation or restriction of movements, but where concerns are raised about any aspect of the service delivered by the hotel we work with the provider to ensure they are addressed in a timely manner,’ a Home Office spokesperson said. By Dyana Parmar, The Justice Gap
•According to the report, the 11 cases at Pangani station is a significant drop from 32 cases reported at the station in 2021.
•Kayole Police Station is second with 5 cases followed by Kahawa West and Nakuru West SubCounty police following with 4 cases each
Attorney General Justin Muturi has defended the appointment of additional 27 Chief Administrative Secretaries and wants the court to dismiss a petition seeking to bar them from assuming office.
The AG, through State Counsel Emmanuel Bitta, argued that the suit by Eliud Matindi lacks merit and has already been overtaken by events since all the 50 CASs had been sworn in by President William Ruto.
“In any case, the dispute is about the appointment to a public office which is a reserve of the Employment and Labour Relations Court and not the High Court. That is why we are asking the High Court to dismiss the case,” said Mr Bitta.
But Mr Matindi, who is a Kenyan living in the United Kingdom, insists that the CASs were illegally sworn in office and wants the court to stop them from drawing salaries or accruing benefits from the offices until his petition is determined.
According to Matindi, President Ruto hurriedly swore in the CASs to defeat justice when his government was aware that the suit was still pending determination.
“That action was intended to sabotage this application and say the matter has been overtaken by events. But the court still has powers to issue appropriate orders notwithstanding the appointments and stop the CAS from drawing salaries,” he said.
Matindi wants the court to nullify the creation of the new CAS positions, arguing the law allows the president to appoint only 23.
He argues that the Public Service Commission only advertised for 23 positions for which eligible candidates were interviewed, and that the additional slots are meant to reward political cronies while punishing taxpayers who will shoulder the burden of their salaries.
Matindi wants the court to declare that Ruto violated the Constitution and the law by creating the office of the CAS, specifically the additional 27 positions that he wants the court to quash.
But the AG argued that the petition was misguided as the petitioner wrongly sued the president in his official capacity when the Constitution shields him from legal disputes.
Bitta defended the creation of additional 27 slots, arguing that Ruto was within the law to make the appointments after consulting the Public Service Commission.
Justice Hedwig Ongundi directed the parties to file their submissions and scheduled the hearing for March 28. - Paul Ogemba, The Standard
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, March 24, 2023/APO Group
HE Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State, met with HE Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, to discuss strengthening bilateral relations between the UAE and the Republic of Congo. During the meeting, the two officials discussed regional files of common interest, as well as ways in which the two nations can further strengthen their trade and economic relations.
HE Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan stated: "We value the longstanding relationship between the UAE and the Republic of Congo, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our cooperation in various fields. Our meeting today was a positive step towards achieving our shared goals of enhancing our bilateral relations." Apo
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev had reportedly made threats of bombing the war crimes court with hypersonic missiles.
On Monday, Mr Medvedev, who is a close ally of Mr Putin, said: “It’s quite possible to imagine a hypersonic missile being fired from the North Sea from a Russian ship at The Hague courthouse.”
“Everyone walks under God and rockets… Look carefully to the sky…”
The warrant prompted the Russian Investigative Committee to open a case against Mr Khan on the grounds of “criminal prosecution of a person known to be innocent... and preparation of an attack on a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection”.
“The presidency of the assembly regrets these attempts to hinder international efforts to ensure accountability for acts that are prohibited under general international law,” the Assembly of States Parties, which is the management and oversight legislative body for the ICC, said in a statement.
It also reaffirmed its “unwavering support for the International Criminal Court”.
“The International Criminal Court embodies our collective commitment to fight impunity for the gravest international crimes. As an institution of last resort, the Court is complementary to national jurisdictions. We call on all States to respect its judicial and prosecutorial independence,” it said.
The 123-member ICC last week accused Mr Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine by illegally deporting hundreds of children.
The unprecedented legal move will obligate the court’s 123 member states to arrest Mr Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory.
Moscow has dismissed the court orders as “void”.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Wednesday called all ICC member countries to comply with the arrest warrant.
“I think anyone who’s a party to the court and has obligations should fulfill their obligations,” Mr Blinken said when asked by US senator Lindsey Graham at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, if he would encourage European allies to “turn over” Mr Putin. By Shweta Sharma, The Independent
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