Supporters gathered outside Nottingham Magistrates this morning to call for justice for Ruhul Anam. Ruhul was in court for Upper Tribunal immigration hearing. He has been in immigration detention for the last 3 years and 9 months and is currently detained at Morton Hall IRC in Lincolnshire. The Court of Appeal has already determined that the first 18 months of his detention was unlawful and Ruhul has won the right to argue that his entire detention has been unlawful in the High Court.

Ruhul has spent his time in detention well, extensively researching immigration law and helping his fellow detainees to make their cases, and often, to win them. He has recently had an important role in producing Speak Out, a newsletter for detainees that is being distributed in detention centres. After such a long period of time in detention, much of which has already been declared unlawful, supporters, which included many of Ruhul's family members who had travelled from London, hoped that Ruhul would be able to win recognition of his right to remain in the UK, the country he has lived in since he was 13.

Ruhul's barrister argued that, with the unlawful detention case still pending, the immigration hearing should be adjourned because its outcome would affect the extent to which his client could rely on arguments around the Ruhul's right to a private life and right to a family life. If Ruhul wins his case in the High Court then it will demonstrate that the Secretary of State unlawfully deprived him of these rights by isolating him from his family and community in detention centres for the past 3 years 9 months, a powerful argument in his case.

At first the judge was adamant that the case should go ahead today, but on realising that a decision made before the High Court could be undone by its decision, she changed her mind. The hearing is now adjourned for a month, which should allow time for the High Court case to take place, and will be transferred back to London.

Ruhul was disappointed. He wanted today to be his day in court and to get one step closer to freedom. We hope he will get that next month instead.