News Summary - June (part 2)

This World Refugee Day, organisations are calling for the protection of fundamental human rights in light of planned deportations to Rwanda. Read more in the news recap below.

A Ugandan refugee from the LGBT community, who was raped and beaten after she was deported from the UK to Uganda, has raised concerns about the potential of LGBT refugees being deported to Rwanda. Due to attitudes toward these communities in Rwanda, she brands the plan a “death sentence”. - LBC News

In his message for World Refugee Day, the Secretary-General of the UN has stated that “protecting refugees is a responsibility we all share”, and places this responsibility as a “fundamental tenet of our common humanity”. He also reaffirmed that “international law is clear: "The right to seek asylum is a fundamental human right”. - UN News

To mark World Refugee day, the Alliance for Human Rights in Afghanistan has released a statement, calling on the international community to uphold and protect the fundamental human rights of Afghan refugees under international law. More specifically, they have called on states to do various things, such as ensuring safe passage out of Afghanistan for those targeted by the Taliban, and the end of forcible return of refugees back to Afghanistan. - Amnesty International

Hemin Ali, a refugee from Iraqi Kurdistan, had his deportation stopped after a successful legal challenge. However, he still remains imprisoned in the Harmondsworth detention centre, as the Home Office has denied his request to be released back to his family. He reports poor conditions in this facility, as well as the staff's refusal to provide him with an inhaler for his asthma. - Socialist Worker

The use of the dilapidated Napier Barracks to intern refugees and asylum seekers has been ruled as unlawful by the courts. The judge ruled that the placement of people here is in breach of the Equality Act, which is designed to protect people from discrimination. This is the third defeat the Home Secretary has faced in the courts in regard to the Napier Barracks scheme. Prior rulings deemed the selection process for who is placed in the barracks, as well as the policy of phone seizures, as unlawful. - KentLive

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, has released a statement on the eve of the Nationality and Borders Act’s provisions coming into effect: “It’s a truly bleak day for refugees fleeing conflict and persecution… Priti Patel’s talk of targeting criminal gangs is a cynical distraction from her true intent - which is to penalise, punish and deter people from ever seeking asylum in this country.” - Amnesty International

Refugee charities, including the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), have stated that they were approached by the Home Office to consult on a social media campaign aimed at warning ‘potential irregular migrants’ about the risks and dangers of illegal migration. Zehrah Hasan, JCWI advocacy director, has stated the organisation “won't be complicit in this anti-refugee scare campaign, and we know that tens of other migrant and refugee rights groups are taking the same stance.” - Morning Star