Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire
Promoting human rights from Salisbury UK
December 2023
The local group went out last evening and toured several streets carol singing. We were supported as ever by the Farrant Singers who sang the carols for us. This has become a tradition and it is in its twentieth year. We are extremely grateful to the Farrants and some of the residents of the streets we toured came out to enjoy the singing.
Underneath the lamp post pic: Salisbury Amnesty
December 2023
We are pleased to attach the minutes of the Salisbury group’s meeting in December thanks to group member Lesley for compiling them. The minutes contain a report on refugees – a hot topic in the UK at present – a summary of the death penalty report (the full version is on this site) and a brief report on a talk on human rights at South Wilts school.
December 2023
As the House of Commons debates the Government’s latest attempt to make their Rwanda project fly, this month’s emphasis has been very much on the small boats. On the progress of the Bill over the next few weeks, anything might happen. The government managed to get the second reading of their bill passed on 12th to clear the way for the plan to remove some people to Rwanda.
As a topline figure, the number of arrivals by small boat this year has reached 29,000; this is about a third down on last year. It has been argued, however, that it’s the number of boats that is down, not people – they are using bigger boats. We have no confirmation of this.
The Government has changed the rules for asylum seekers/refugees following their processing; they now have 28 days to leave the temporary hostels they have been confined in and to find their own accommodation. As a result the level of homelessness among this community has increased dramatically. The Evening Standard claims that the numbers of homeless in the migrant community has increased 39% in a month (presumably this is a London figure).
The big increase in the number of claimant withdrawals has been exercising the legal profession. These are migrants who have claimed refugee or asylum seeker status, but have not turned up for interview. As a result, 17,000 claimants who have apparently withdrawn their claim are now unaccounted for, though presumably they are still in the UK (the Home Office has no knowledge of their whereabouts). On a similar topic, of the 154 unaccompanied child asylum seekers who went missing earlier this year, 132 are still missing.
While the number of legacy cases is being reduced, new claims are still keeping the total high. The Government’s aim of clearing the pre-June 2022 backlog has not yet been achieved (it’s believed to be still about 10,000, and these are among the most complicated cases). Meanwhile, new applications have amounted to 90,000, leaving the total figure at around 109,000 (less than the peak). It should be noted that Home Office staff turnover is very high and it may well be that the 17,000 alluded to above include names taken off the backlog to reduce the figures. Also the Home Affairs Committee this week elicited the information that approval levels went down to 38% in Q2 and back up to 67% in Q3 – the reason is unclear.
It is worth pointing out, as part of the argument, that the small boats population amounts to about 6.6% of the net immigration numbers for the year (the 700,000 excess of arrivals v departures) figure) and half that for the gross total (incomers only)
Another problem area has been the gap between a claimant being granted leave and receiving a Biometric Residence Permit – the Home Office claim not to know how long the average wait in limbo is.
The apparent suicide of an asylum seeker on the Bibby Stockholm has drawn attention to the cost of the barge, currently estimated at £22 million. The number of boat people on board is not known, but is believed to be around 200 currently.
On the issue of potential refugees from Gaza, the request in October from various refugee organisations in the UK to the Government to come up with a scheme for taking numbers on, as was done with Ukraine, does not appear to have been acted upon as yet.
Finally, a survey by Labour List this week invited respondents to say how many arrivals had actually been removed to Rwanda. The percentage saying, correctly, none was 48%.
Andrew Hemming
December 2023
We are pleased to attach the latest monthly death penalty report thanks to group member Lesley for the work in preparing it. As well as news from America, we report Iran has used the conflict in Gaza to mount a series of executions hoping the world will not notice. For the first time we include a small item about China which is believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world combined but where details are a state secret.
December 2023
Our monthly meeting is today starting at 2pm in Victoria Road. Supporters and new members welcome.
December 2023
Today marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s most ground-breaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
In one sense, we should be celebrating what was a great event. Yet surveying the world today, one wonders to what extent its aspirations are being followed. In many parts of the world, people are denied rights because of colour, race, religion or social status. Millions have been displaced and live in camps with only limited facilities. A war rages in Gaza. In China, around a million Uyghurs suffer persecution because of their faith.
Here in the UK, instead of celebration, we await a vote this week to see if parliament will agree to disapplying parts of the Human Rights Act – a child of the Declaration – and some within the Conservative party wish to see us leave the European Convention. Parts of the media carry out a regular assault on the act blaming it for many of our ills and allegedly providing a safety net for terrorists and criminals. There are many in positions of power who would like to see the act abolished or at least seriously curtailed. A sad commentary after three quarters of a century.
Today (10th) we shall be in the Cathedral for our annual Christmas signing for prisoners of conscience. From 10:00 till noon.
December 2023
Past event
Members of the Salisbury Group will be at the Cathedral cloisters from around 10 o’clock on Sunday for our annual Write for Rights and people in Salisbury are invited to come and sign. We must not forget that many people are in prison or at risk of execution often for no more than disagreeing with the powers that be in their country. They have committed no crime but have may said something disobliging or critical of a president, king or other leader and frequently without trial, can end up in prison for many years. Human Rights defenders, lawyers or journalists are all caught up in this activity.
United Kingdom
The situation in the UK is fast approaching a kind of crisis concerning the issue of deporting people to Rwanda. The government will be tabling a bill next week to disapply sections of the Human Rights Act to enable the deportation of immigrants to Rwanda. Previous plans were blocked by the Supreme Court because the human rights situation in Rwanda is unsatisfactory. Refugees sent there were at risk of refoulement that is being sent back to a country where they would be at risk of bad treatment of some kind. A plan last June to despatch a plane load from Boscombe Down, an airfield a mile or so from where this is being written, was halted by the European Court.
The issue of the ‘boat people’ has become a major issue for the government being one of the Prime Minister’s 5 objectives. Although only a small part of the overall level of immigration, it has assumed huge significance to the point where there might be a confidence vote next week if the bill is not passed. Ostensibly, it is partly due to anger around the gangs involved in organising the crossings. The hope is that if the Rwanda deportations can get underway, this will act as a disincentive to people wishing to cross the Channel. There are many who view this as wishful thinking.
Critics, including Conservative politicians, point out that the bill – even if it becomes law – will not prevent claimants appealing to Strasbourg thus delaying the deportation process until way beyond the likely date of the General Election. This is leading some politicians to demand that we leave the European Court as well.
A leading proponent of this is Danny Kruger the MP for Devizes in Wiltshire, who is co-founder of the ‘New Conservatives’ whose ten point plan is built around immigration matters.
The whole matter has reached almost absurd levels. The Supreme Court looked carefully at the evidence and concluded that Rwanda is not a safe country. Critics and journalists are frequently detained and tortured in detention. Opposition is effectively banned. There are disappearances. A new treaty has been signed between the UK and Rwanda a few days ago which claims to overcome these human rights problems identified by the Supreme Court and clear the way for deportations to take place.
It is almost an example of national hysteria combined with false promises coming home to roost. It was claimed that Brexit would enable the UK to regain its sovereignty a benefit of which was to stop boat crossings and reduce immigration generally. Yet recent figures show immigration at a record 745,000. The vast majority are here legitimately and are needed in a range of sectors such as health, horticulture and care homes. These organisations would find operating without them almost impossible. Yet hysteria has been ratcheted up by the media with its focus on the boat crossings. New proposals will prevent family members joining those already here which will cause great anguish in many, many cases.
We have now arrived at a situation where the government wished to disapply parts of the Human Rights Act and even contemplate departing from the European Convention to join Russia which was ejected in 2022. The statements around this matter by local MP Danny Kruger are to be regretted.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 