A PAKISTANI asylum seeker has been awarded nearly £100,000 after a UK court ruled that she was unlawfully detained and subjected to breaches of her rights by the Home Office.
Nadra Almas, who arrived in the UK on a student visa in 2004, overstayed after her visa expired. She argued that returning to Pakistan would put her at risk as a Christian.
After multiple applications for permission to remain, her asylum claim was refused in 2015 but later reconsidered, The Telegraph reported.
In 2018, she was detained at Yarl’s Wood detention centre after being told she would be deported. The High Court found that her detention involved “numerous breaches,” including a failure to consider alternatives. She was released two weeks later after filing a fresh claim.
It took the Home Office nearly three years to grant her refugee status, during which time she was unable to work, travel, or access benefits. A court ruled that this delay violated her right to a family life under the Human Rights Act.
Recorder McNeill, who originally awarded Almas £98,757.04, described her treatment as “outrageous” and said officials had shown “a reckless disregard for her rights.”
The Home Office appealed both the ruling and the compensation amount, but the appeal was dismissed by Justice Ritchie, who upheld the original decision, The Telegraph reported.
The court also noted that her son, who applied on similar grounds, was granted refugee status in 2018.
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