The detention of these people was clearly unlawful, as they were detained without an individual assessment and even though they had applied for asylum. The "reason" for the detention, which was only copied, was given by the police as preparation for removal. It is the cornerstone of asylum law that people who are in the asylum process may not be deported without an examination. The Ombudsman was unequivocal about this. A judicial appeal is still pending. The Ombudsman's decision can be found here.

The Ombudsman's decision reached us at 9:50 this morning. At 10:00 the police stormed some of the cells and ransacked them, searching personal belongings and spreading fear. The group had gone on hunger strike days ago.

The police search was an obvious punishment for people exercising their rights not to be arbitrarily detained. No human rights regulation is older: the fact that people may only be imprisoned after a case-by-case examination and for certain reasons was already laid down in the Magna Carta. This is over 800 years old. It dates back to the year 1215.

809 years later, European states continue to give free rein to their arbitrariness.