Detained African refugees seeking asylum take legal action The Carmichael Road Detention Centre. FILE
A group of African political refugees has taken legal action against the government, claiming false imprisonment at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre and requesting that an injunction be granted to prevent their deportation to their home countries.
The writ of summons, which was filed on Wednesday, lists Minister of Financial Services, Trade & Industry and Immigration Elsworth Johnson, Director of Immigration Clarence Russell, Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle, Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force Dr. Raymond King and Attorney General Carl Bethel as the respondents.
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
IN response to claims that seven asylum seekers who sought to take refuge in The Bahamas after fleeing Cameroon because of persecution fears were illegally detained, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that the government is satisfied that the rights of detainees have not been violated.
The ministry also said the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered the repatriation of detainees to their home countries as well as the processing of asylum seekers.
Human Rights Bahamas, in a statement to The Tribune last week, claimed the asylum seekers were not charged with nor convicted of a crime in this country and there was no legal justification for holding them indefinitely. The watchdog group said all of the asylum seekers were interviewed by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) and are in the process of having their political refugee status officially confirmed.