February 2005
Some stories
Plymouth Kurd family detained and split up by immigration authorities
The two children of Ruir Thaha have been taken into care after first being detained with their mother and then separated from her after she twice attempted suicide over the weekend.
28 February 2005 (405 words)
BBC's 'Asylum Undercover' exposes violence and abuse
On Wednesday 2 March, at 9pm, BBC1 will be screening Asylum Undercover - The Real Story?, a programme 'revealing evidence of racism and a culture of violence towards detainees within the UK's asylum system'.
24 February 2005 (216 words)
Plymouth school students detained after escaping racist harassment
Two asylum-seeking students who were forced to leave their school because of harassment are now facing deportation.
24 February 2005 (178 words)
Telling it like it is
In the week that the government announced a fall in the number of asylum seekers coming to the UK, the Scottish Refugee Council released a guide on The truth about asylum.
24 February 2005 (179 words)
Deportation of dedicated community worker opposed
Earlier this week, a campaign was launched in Manchester town hall to support the right to stay in the UK of Perparim Demaj, a Kosovan asylum seeker.
24 February 2005 (568 words)
Campaign to reduce risk of prostate cancer in Black men
Macmillan Cancer Relief aims to provide information to target prostate cancer awareness within the Black male community. A new Toolkit for health and social care professionals is intended to implement cultural sensitivity and encourage more Black men to seek help.
17 February 2005 (312 words)
Fire cover cuts could affect Black communities
Local firefighters and the Fire Brigades Union are concerned that the West Midlands Fire Service's plans to reduce fire cover could endanger the lives of vulnerable communities, especially Black and Minority Ethnic families and businesses, in some of the most deprived areas of the region.
10 February 2005 (373 words)
Citizens' enquiry into service provision at Lunar House
Earlier this week, South London Citizens, an alliance of trade union branches, faith communities, schools and student groups from six south London boroughs, launched its own 'citizens enquiry' into service provision at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate offices at Lunar House in Croydon.
10 February 2005 (171 words)
Campaign launched for full access to HIV services for migrants
The Terrence Higgins Trust has launched a campaign to highlight the needs of migrant HIV sufferers who are being denied public healthcare under current NHS regulations.
7 February 2005 (387 words)
Desperate asylum seeker takes own life
At the end of January, an inquest into the death of Kurdish asylum seeker Ako Mahmood Ahmed recorded a verdict of suicide. He died after jumping from a bridge at a Coventry shopping centre in August 2004.
3 February 2005 (329 words)
Deportations to Zimbabwe contested
Over 350 people, mainly Zimbabweans from across the UK, gathered outside the Home Office on a cold Saturday afternoon last week to protest at the deportation of their countrymen and women to Zimbabwe.
2 February 2005 (307 words)
Detention without trial in all but name
The recent decision by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission to grant bail to three men detained without trial since December 2001 and the release of an Egyptian refugee have been met with incredulity by human rights organisations, MPs and lawyers.
2 February 2005 (634 words)