Frances Swaine, partner and head of the human rights department at law firm Leigh Day & Co, has been instructed by 11 women who are being held at Yarl’s Wood detention centre. The women are seeking a declaration from the Court that the actions of the Home Office and Serco during the peaceful protest at the centre on 8th February 2010 violated the women's human rights.
Yarl’s Wood: 8th February 2010
A group of women are currently on hunger strike at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre in protest at the way they are treated at the centre, and the conditions in which they are kept. As part of their protest they drafted a petition, End the detention of foreign nationals now that they wanted to present to representatives of the UK Borders Agency.
On 8th February 2010 some 70 women gathered at an assembly area in order to present their petition to immigration officers. After being told that this would be possible the women were locked in a corridor without being allowed to deliver their petition. The women were then held in this corridor for some eight hours without being allowed to use lavatories, or received medical attention. Conditions in the corridor soon became highly unpleasant and unsanitary and were particularly distressing for these vulnerable women many of whom are victims of rape and torture.
Some hours after the women were locked in the corridor some of them managed to escape to a courtyard through an unlocked window. There they were met with a group of police carrying riot shields who aggressively herded them into a corner causing some of the women injury in the process. This group, some of whom had on only thin clothing were then held in the courtyard in bitterly cold conditions for several hours.
Breaches of the Human Rights Act
The women allege that their rights to freedom of expression, their rights to peaceful assembly and rights not to be tortured or suffer inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment were all breached by employees of Serco. They are now seeking a declaration to the effect that their rights were violated, and are seeking appropriate damages from Serco and the Home Office.
Emma Jones speaks about taking statement from Yarl's Wood hunger strikers in a video clip dated 29.6.10.
For more information please contact
Frances Swaine or
Emma Jones on 020 7650 1200.