I’m writing this from Yarl’s Wood. I’m still in my cell even though the “fast track” asylum system has been suspended and people should be released (Report, 3 July). I was raped and suffered other torture in my home country, but my asylum claim was fast-tracked. There is no way the “fast track” system can be brought back in a fair way, because it leaves us no time to gather evidence of what we have suffered. And what is fair about imprisoning anyone with no end in sight, when all we have done is escape torture?
The Guardian comments that people will be re-detained because of the risk of absconding. I was signing with the Home Office for four and a half years and never failed to turn up, but I was still detained.
This victory against the fast track isn’t just because of a court case. In Yarl’s Wood we have been protesting, going on hunger strike and taking direct action to stop women being removed. We’ve had big support from people outside who are demanding that Yarl’s Wood be closed down. Over 100 of us just signed a petition demanding our freedom. We will not give up our human rights.
Name supplied
Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre
