from a special correspondent in Italy FOUR detained immigrants died in a fire in the detention centre in Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy, early in January.
After the fire, a delegation of supporters found that a number of detainees were being held beyond the legal limit of 20 days plus a further 10 days maximum. Several were released at once thanks to pressure from the delegation.
The tragedy exposed a recent verbal greement between the Icalian and Jbanian home secretaries to set uf immigration detention centres in Albania for would-be immigrants into Italy. The centres were set up to house Kosovan war refugees. The plan is to fill them with Kurds, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, east Europeans, etc. trying to get into Italy.
Any immigrants who arrive illegally at the port of Otranto in the far southeast of Italy will be sent not to their country of ongin but to the camps it Albania.
Germany has already set the prececantor dalenton contres outr zone states with detention centres in Immigration is a relatively new phenomenon in modern caly, and has other EU states, Germany and Britain in particular to protect what their social democratic leaders regard as the vuinerable southern borders of Europe.
subsequently timised.
Iwo weeks later, some 300 pcople were at the Six cars Long" demonstration Campsfield on November 27 to mark six vears to the day of cam paigning by detainees and supporters since the detention centre opened.
'hey came from Manchester, Newcastle. Bradford, ( Birmingham, Bristol, Coventry Swindon, Kent, Cambridge. Stafford, Sheffield, Nottingham, Norwich, London and Oxford - a determination.
There was a lot of music, noise planes ent over the 20-foot-high razor wire-topped fence.
Anderson Loa from Ivorian Relief Support There was big CAGE continpolice station and detention cenconstruction programme), Hackney TOTH Migrants Group, Against Institutional Racism in FASTI (Federation of Associain Support of Immigrant OTES Workers) in France, and Winchester Action Group for Asylum Bolts securing the fence had been welded and all detainces were locked inside durwhen young black people Harmondsworth Campaigners held Christmas picket ourside Harmondsworth , detention centre near London's Heathrow airport. Raised Voices Choir led singing of protest songs.
Two weeks carlier, local Labour MP and Campaign Group member John Macdonnell spoke at Leeds, Camsaign's public meeting in Ealing Town Hall Harmondsworth (capacity 90 people) is due to be replaced soon by a purpose-built prison for the innocent ("detention centre") at nearby Feltham/Hatton Cross.
Campaien contact: 0181 571 5019 - evenings were Oakington n January 15 the full mecting South SpOKC Cambridgeshire DisStrict Council was lobmet rubber-stamp a sub-committee's go-ahead to the Home Office to turn part of nearby Oakington army camp into a "reception tre" to detain up to 400 children, women and men.
Group 4 have got the contract to run it, and are running recruit nent days at Gonville Hotel later The Home Office has said Oakington detainees will be: all people secking political asylum who • party and says that he wa hinted that really he's got off the Home Office said it todial Services, another private profiteer from injustice, to incarcerate up to 250 innocent asylum seckers on two "foatels" in Livernool harbour. The City Council a pres honores "Roatels" owned by Bibby Line; one is a prison ship in Weymouth harbour the HMP Weare.)
Perhaps the barges are intended summer?
In the same July statement the imminent closure was announced of HMP Aldington, near Folkestone in Kent, pending its conversion into an immixtation detention centre.
places of detenKochener, kent (uro designated the detention wings holding a total of 170), HMP Haslar, Gosport, Portsmouth (100), and Tinsley "House" detention Gatwick airport (140).
Victory for Campsfield Nine G hanaian detaince •John Quaquah, is one of the nine African Campsfield detainces acquitted in June 1999 of riot charges arising Recent settlement. He had to from the August 20 1998 mass protest at Campsfield.
closed by the prosecution barrister after his evidence from Group guards exposed by the defence lawyers to be false.
John Quaquah (along with the others of the Nine) then sought damages from Group 4 and the with deportation order. either refugee status or "leave to remain.")
In December the High Court quashed the deportation order. The judge based his decision on Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights, proscdures of the new Civil Pro cedure Rules, and the recent ruling on bias in the Pinochet case John Quaquah had the right to stay in order properly to prepare the very body that had sought to deport him, and against Group I'he next step in the Campsfield Nine's long fight for justice La Hish Court decidepends on sion on the latest attempt by the Home Office and Group 4 to escape the consequences of their actions.
Both seck to be "struck out" of John Quaquah's case on the basis that 4, nos us" employee who provided flawed evidence, liot us" (Group There will be a lobby of the High Court on 23 March from • (Close Campsfield and Campscontacts 01865 558145 / 557282 / 736004