Refugees have received a Supreme Court ruling at Napier Barracks in southeastern England.
The United Kingdom’s self-imposed sanction violated the law by detaining asylum seekers in “shame” and using military facilities, the Supreme Court has ruled.
Six rescuers brought the case to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s administration, saying the conditions at Napier Barracks pose “real dangers to their lives and torture.”
Judge Thomas Linden on Thursday ruled in favor of the men, noting that the facility was not guaranteed “a good enough life for those who want it”.
Linden said the place was “broken”, noisy and flooded, and that “the health of some of the people had deteriorated”.
“As far as the defendant thinks the space was adequate for their needs, that idea was absurd.”
Hundreds of migrants and refugees who arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats have been sent to Napier location in southeastern England since September, despite warnings from health officials in the area, the site was not appropriate.
The Refugee Development Agency said the residents of the camps experienced “extreme cold” in the winter and that the government said about 200 had been tested with COVID-19 in an earlier eruption this year. In January, there were riots and fires at the scene.
‘Gambling and human life’
Linden, the judge, also asked about “living like a prisoner”, as citizens are required to be there voluntarily while their requests for assistance are processed.
“With this in mind, the idea that prison facilities – enclosed enclosures with barbed wire, access to security gates and uniformed guards – would be sufficient to meet their needs, would begin to look questionable,” he said.
Refugee aids have received the verdict, which could lead to further damages against the Secretary of the Home Priti Patel.
“The ruling confirms to all those who have repeatedly told the government that despite forcing hundreds of refugees to the camps plagued by deadly plague, they have been gambling with human lives,” said Mariam Kemple Hardy in Refugee Action. “Napier Barracks and all other campgrounds should be closed.”
The judge declined to rule that the shelters should not be used to house asylum seekers, but said there was a need for “significant changes in conditions there, and to reduce the number of people who want to stay there temporarily”.
Following the ruling, the Home Office said there would be “significant changes in services” in public places, which would be open “to provide safer accommodation”.
“We will carefully consider this decision and what we will do,” he said.
