An update on our campaign to end detention of torture survivors

So far this year over 22,000 of our supporters have taken action calling for the Government to stop detaining torture survivors for immigration purposes. These efforts have made lawmakers more aware of the issue and we're now seeing real movement for change.

A big thank you to all our supporters making this possible!

Your efforts earlier this year saw 131 MPs sign Early Day Motion 696 – Immigration Detention of Victims of Torture and other Vulnerable People. This EDM is now in the top 10 this year for number of signatories. Further more, almost 20,000 of you signed our open letter to former Home Secretary, Amber Rudd MP, calling for the Home Office to halt the redrafting process of the torture definition in the Adults at Risk policy.

Your efforts have contributed to the tabling of three debates. Two in the House of Commons on this very issue on 6 June at 2.30pm in Committee Room 9 at the Palace of Westminster and on 14 June in Westminster Hall - follow Freedom from Torture's Twitter account and the hashtag #StopDetainingSurvivors for live updates. A motion of regret was also tabled by Lord Ramsbotham in the House of Lords for Wednesday 27 June, which led to a fruitful discussion with the government and the House moving to regret the policy changes.

Thank you for approaching your MP. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Joan Ryan MP has now tabled two further EDMs on detention issues – EDM 1200 and EDM 1202, which have been signed by 116 and 112 MPs respectively. We will keep you informed on their progress.

This mounting pressure has raised awareness of the issue amongst key campaign targets - we've seen Freedom from Torture’s evidence quoted in parliamentary debates and Committee hearings, including the Home Affairs Committee and the Joint Committee on Human Rights. This is important – it demonstrates that our evidence adds extra veracity and weight to an already parlous situation.

Despite recent media exposure of the “hostile environment” and of abuses in immigration detention centres, survivors of torture are still being detained while seeking sanctuary in the UK. This debate is a vital step in making sure that Parliamentarians are aware of the issues around immigration detention and the flawed Adults at Risk policy, which the Home Office have updated without proper consultation and scrutiny.

If you would like to continue to help us end the detention of torture survivors, contact your MP and ask them to attend the debate.

Thanks once again for all your support for our campaign to #StopDetainingSurvivors!