Bhatt Murphy has been jointly shortlisted for the Halsbury Rule of Law Award at the LexisNexis 2023 Awards, along with other firms and chambers acting for former immigration detainees and NGOs: Garden Court Chambers, Deighton Pierce Glynn, Doughty Street Chambers, Duncan Lewis Solicitors, Landmark Chambers and Matrix Chambers.
The abuse of individuals formerly detained at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre was exposed by the BBC Panorama programme ‘Undercover: Britain’s Immigration Secrets’ which showed footage filmed secretly by Callum Tully, a former G4S guard, in 2017. Following campaigns and legal action to secure an effective investigation into the abuse, the Brook House Public Inquiry was set up in 2019.
At hearings in 2021 and 2022, the Inquiry heard evidence of a toxic culture of abuse, institutional racism and cover-up of mistreatment, as well as failings in healthcare provision and the routine use of excessive force against vulnerable detainees. Bhatt Murphy’s submissions to the Inquiry included allegations of breaches of our clients’ rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, and serious failures of the legal safeguards which are intended to prevent the detention of torture survivors and mentally unwell individuals.
Bhatt Murphy’s Brook House Public Inquiry team are Olivia Anness, Hamish Arnott, Raju Bhatt, Michela Carini, Niamh McLoughlin, Nazmul Hasan, and Joanna Khan.
The Inquiry’s final report is expected soon and will be published on its website here.
The full LexisNexis Awards shortlist is here.
