A Church and human rights group chaired by the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Richard Harries, has spoken out about the treatment of asylum seekers in the UK.

The report, entitled Why Detention? is sponsored by the Asylum Rights Campaign and the Churches Commission for Racial Justice, and urges the British Government to adopt better safeguards when detaining asylum seekers and immigration offenders. In his introduction to the report, the Bishop of Oxford says:"The British Government's policy on the detention of asylum seekers and those thought to be guilty of immigration offences is deeply unsatisfactory on both moral and practical grounds. There can be no justification for imprisoning people who have committed no crime. It is hard to escape the conclusion that this is a deliberate policy by governments to deter people seeking safety within their borders. It is morally repugnant." The report calls for refugees to be detained only in exceptional circumstances. It says that the Government should specify an absolute maximum period beyond which asylum-seekers cannot be detained; provide written statements for the reasons for detentions which are reviewed by judicial authorities within 7 days; not hold asylum seekers in prison nor deprive them of their freedom. The report also asks that those who are detained have access to free legal advice.