Displaying items by tag: justice

A Texas immigration law, one of the nation's toughest ever, has been temporarily frozen by an appeals court. The law would empower officials to detain and prosecute individuals they suspect of entering the country illegally, overriding federal authority. Although the law briefly took effect during legal manoeuvres, a three-judge panel heard arguments on its constitutionality without issuing an immediate ruling. The Justice Department requested a delayed effective date if the law were to be upheld, intending to seek emergency action from the Supreme Court. Joe Biden's administration opposed the law, on the grounds that immigrant detention should remain in its hands. Mexico denounced the law as anti-immigrant, pledging not to accept individuals deported by Texas. The law’s potential reinstatement could signify a significant departure in immigration enforcement, challenging the traditional federal authority. Crossing the US border illegally is already a federal crime, but violations are usually handled as civil cases by the immigration courts.

The UK Home Office has lost track of over 17,000 asylum seekers after their claims were discontinued, a concern raised during a discussion about Rishi Sunak's goal to clear the asylum backlog by year's end. The claims were withdrawn because the individuals failed to respond to interview requests or questionnaires. In 2021, 2,141 applications were refused or withdrawn, a significant decrease from 24,403 in 2004. When an application is withdrawn, the individual becomes illegal in the UK and is subject to removal. The Government, confident about meeting its target, has increased caseworker numbers. However, the significant rise in withdrawn claims raises concerns about conveniently meeting targets. The Home Office is also negotiating a treaty with Rwanda following the Supreme Court's ruling against their plan to send asylum seekers there, citing risks of violation of UK and international human rights laws. There is also uncertainty about the total amount paid to Rwanda, with more details expected in the summer, making it challenging to scrutinise the policy's costs effectively.

Independent news outlet Vyorstka has reported a huge uptick in the number of Russian soldiers facing trial for murders committed outside the conflict zone in Ukraine. At least 147 soldiers went on trial for murder between January and September, compared to the 15 murder cases heard against soldiers in military courts in all of 2022. Court verdicts from this year indicate that most soldiers facing trial committed murders under the influence of alcohol. In one case an intoxicated soldier killed a woman with a Kalashnikov assault rifle after learning that she did not support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. He was sentenced to nine years in prison in March. It is unclear whether the figures cited by Vyorstka include members of the Wagner mercenary outfit, which recruited prison inmates to fight in Ukraine in exchange for pardons. Among the weapons used in the murders were knives, axes, pistols, and Kalashnikovs.

An armed Metropolitan Police officer, identified as NX121, has been charged with the murder of black rapper Chris Kaba in south London. Kaba, a 24-year-old expectant father, was fatally shot by a police marksman during a vehicle stop on 5 September 2022. Armed officers had been covertly following the vehicle, flagged by Automatic Number Plate Recognition as connected to a firearms incident. After the shooting, no firearms were found in the vehicle. The officer was initially placed on restricted duties but later suspended. The decision to charge the officer followed a six-month investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). NX121 is set to appear in Westminster magistrates’ court. Kaba's family welcomed the charging decision, expressing hope that justice would be served. The police federation expressed concern about future implications for officers involved in dangerous roles. This case echoes past instances where armed Met officers faced murder charges over fatal shootings while on duty.

Potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK rose by over a quarter in the first three months of 2023 and is at the highest level since identifying them began. Albanian nationals accounted for 1/3rd of potential victims. British nationals (up 25%) were the second most commonly referred nationality; third most common was Sudanese (5%). The role of anti-slavery commissioner has remained vacant since Dame Sara Thornton left the post in April 2022. Speaking at the Home Affairs Committee’s new inquiry into human trafficking, she described the failure to find her replacement ‘deeply regrettable’ and suggested there could be a conflict of interest because the Home Office was in charge of the appointment. Worldwide, almost 50 million people live as slaves today. In the UK alone there are estimated to be over 100,000 victims silently hidden in places like car washes, brothels, nail bars, and restaurants in our neighbourhoods and streets. See

Asylum-seekers will be housed in disused military bases in Essex and Lincolnshire and a prison in East Sussex, under plans to cut the £6 million a day spent on hotel accommodation for people landing in the UK in small boats. Housing them in barges and other floating accommodation has also been mentioned. Rishi Sunak has also brought forward proposals to use barracks at Catterick, in his constituency. The Refugee Council is deeply concerned, calling the suggested accommodation ‘entirely unsuitable’ for the needs of vulnerable men, women, and children who have come to our country in search of safety; it will add yet more cost and chaos to the system. The Home Office said that healthcare will be available along with catering facilities and 24/7 security, and ‘accommodation for illegal migrants should meet their essential living needs and nothing more’.

IJM reports, ‘Last week we celebrated justice for IJM lawyer WK, his client and their driver. Three police officers and one civilian were convicted of their murder’. Prior to 2016, few police officers had ever been convicted for murder - despite many instances of police abusing power. But in the past five years, 45 officers have been convicted on murder or manslaughter charges. This gives hope to victims and families of police abuse that justice is possible. ‘Also, praise God for the acquittal of an innocent IJM client in Kenya. He was framed for a crime he didn't commit. During the trial, the prosecution failed to produce any witnesses. He is now free, but please pray for him to be protected from further false accusations.’

Individuals who were due to be removed to Rwanda lodged applications with the Court of Human Rights requesting they be allowed to stay in the UK as their application for residency in the UK is considered. Following a first request for an interim measure, on 14 June others lodged similar applications. There are serious risks that the international law principle of non-refoulement (compulsory repatriation to a nation of origin leading to great danger) will be breached by forcibly transferring asylum-seekers to Rwanda. We can ask God to protect our human rights laws. We can pray for the future UK Bill of Rights, currently being considered by the UK government, to come under God’s authority; and for treaties and laws to be according to His order, not man’s. Protecting people and giving them freedom lies at the heart of human rights laws. Father, we ask for every law and law management around this issue to be aligned with Your principles. 

Abdullah al-Howaiti was 14 years old when he was arrested in 2017 on charges of murder and armed robbery. The Supreme Court had overturned his original conviction last year. He was first sentenced to death in 2019, after he was convicted by a court in Tabuk province of shooting dead a policeman while robbing a jewellery shop. Five other defendants were handed 15-year prison terms for allegedly aiding and abetting the crimes. All six had pleaded not guilty, telling the judge that interrogators coerced their ‘confessions’ through torture or the threat of it. The judge also ignored CCTV footage showing that Howaiti was not near the jewellers’ shop at the time of the crime. The court of appeal in Tabuk upheld the conviction in January 2021, but the Supreme Court threw it out in November and ordered a retrial.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called on the government to ‘put right’ the fact that a group of war widows who remarried after the deaths of their husbands, are not allowed to claim their pensions. He said, ‘One of the Bible's strongest, clearest, and most often repeated commands is to care for and honour the widow. The plight of the war widows who are not able to receive their military pensions is a very great wrong. To find love and happiness again after such loss and heartbreak only to be denied their rightful pension, and for many their means of living, leaves them in a cruel and unjustifiable situation and facing unbearable decisions. It must be put right.’ In 2015, changes were introduced and all who qualified would receive the pension for life. But the changes were not applied retrospectively, leaving around 200 women unable to claim the money.