News archive for 2007
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Former Burmese political prisoner fears for lives of those still detained
A former political prisoner who was detained and tortured for almost six years by Burma's military junta has spoken of his fears for those who are still being held if the momentum for justice is lost.
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Woman who fled torturers that killed her family tells story in new book
A Ugandan woman who narrowly escaped death at the hands of the unrelenting torturers that killed her husband and abducted her children has had her story published in a seminal new book.
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Immigration detainees in UK continue to suffer ill-treatment while staff accused of abuse escape investigation
Vulnerable asylum seekers are being exposed to serious abuses because of a consistent failure by the private contractors who detain them to ensure that complaints are independently investigated, the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture says.
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Likelihood of torture for returned Darfuris too dangerous to ignore
A House of Lords ruling that allows the Government to remove Darfuri asylum seekers from the UK does not give enough assurances about their security to warrant their return, the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture warns.
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John McCarthy short listed as celebrity charity champion in industry awards
Writer and broadcaster John McCarthy has been recognised for his invaluable support of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture in Britain's Most Admired Charities awards.
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Limited edition pieces raise thousands at art auction
Art work donated by some of today's most sought after names helped the Medical Foundation beat all expectations at its latest auction, raising £60,000.
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Revisions on health care threaten to increase vulnerability of torture survivors
Plans to introduce charges for basic medical treatment could endanger the lives of torture survivors and would make doctors unofficial arbiters of an immigration policy that prioritises cost cuts over health care, the Medical Foundation warns.
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Legal Services Commission failing to support torture surviving children
Children who have survived torture and who are unaccompanied asylum seekers in the UK are at risk of further traumatisation and return to the very countries they fled because of a lack of access to appropriate legal representation.
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Torture once again rampant in Sri Lanka conflict
The scale of the resumption of torture in Sri Lanka following the breakdown of the cease-fire between Tamil insurgents and government forces, and the emergence of state-sponsored paramilitaries such as a breakaway Tamil group led by Col Karuna, is revealed in a new report from the Medical Foundation.
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Award-winning author supports writers at Sheffield literature festival
Writers who have been praised on the literary circuit for their reflections on lives of pain and exile appeared alongside Sheffield novelist Lesley Glaister at this year's Off the Shelf festival.
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Headline acts top the bill for Human Rights Day concert
Some of the biggest names on today's music scene are coming together to perform at one of the UK's hottest concert venues to mark Human Rights Day in December.
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MF's Work with Former Child Soldiers Highlighted.
A lengthy report on BBC Radio Four's drive time PM programme, later repeated on the World Service and Five Live, has drawn attention to the MF's work with former child soldiers.
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New Safeguards Needed to Protect Torture Survivors from Detention
Key safeguards must be introduced to protect asylum seekers fleeing torture from further unnecessary suffering at the hands of the UK immigration authorities, the Medical Foundation urges.
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Rock icon turns client stories into music
Born to suffer. That was one of the lines composed by young teenage clients of the Medical Foundation during a series of powerful sessions in which they laid bare feelings of lost lives and uncertain identities which were then transformed into music by rock icon and long-term MF supporter, Skin.
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Writing group sets sights on Edinburgh's literary world
Exiled writers, flourishing poets and novelists who have forged new identities through their work will be sharing their talent at two key events on Edinburgh's literary scene.
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Exhibition brings children's stories of hardship and survival to life
Children as young as eight who lived through detention and refugee camps in some of the world's war stricken countries are contributing to a unique project that will highlight how the MF is helping to rehabilitate torture survivors.
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MF Clients tell House of Lords The Truth About the Asylum Process
Several young Medical Foundation clients have attended the House of Lords to give a first hand account of the difficulties they encountered as adolescents trying to claim asylum in Britain.
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Government Accused of Abandoning Torture Survivors' Detention Safeguard
The Government appears to be retreating from its undertaking that asylum seekers who have survived torture will only be detained in "exceptional circumstances" by listing four sets of circumstance in which they may be held.
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MF Calls for Enquiry Into Interrogation Techniques
The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture believes an independent, public enquiry into British Army interrogation techniques is essential following a Law Lords ruling that the Human Rights Act binds members of the armed forces serving abroad.
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MF Warns Asylum Child Care Reforms Could Be Damaging
Far-reaching Home Office changes to the way in which unaccompanied child and adolescent asylum seekers are looked after could damage young torture victims, the MF warns.