AT LEAST 250 people who were held at the Manston asylum centre in Kent are suing the UK government for unlawful detention and breaches of their human rights.
The claims relate to a period between June and November 2022 when the site was overcrowded and had outbreaks of diseases, according to The Guardian.
The claimants include a woman who had a miscarriage, a child wrongly recorded as five years older than his age, and a teenager who was a victim of torture and trafficking.
During the period in question, people slept on wet cardboard in overcrowded tents. Marquees meant for temporary use were occupied for over a month in some cases.
Outbreaks of diphtheria and scabies were reported, and one man died after contracting diphtheria. Kent police also investigated reports of guards assaulting asylum seekers.
David Neal, the former chief inspector of borders and immigration, described the conditions as so poor he was speechless, The Guardian reported.
Andy Baxter of the Prison Officers’ Association said the site resembled a refugee camp in an unstable country.
A 19-year-old Sudanese man said he was detained for 33 days without clean clothes or proper food and told by some officials to “go back to your country.”
A 17-year-old Kurdish boy told the newspaper his age was wrongly recorded, and he was detained for 12 days. A Syrian woman said she miscarried after 11 days in a tent without medical care.
Emily Soothill of Deighton Pierce Glynn said the clients were falsely imprisoned. Jed Pennington of Wilsons solicitors said the clients want accountability for what happened.
