‘My throat was dry. I was stressed. When I tried to tell them I had been tortured, the interviewer didn’t ask me any other questions about it or try and find out about what had happened to me,’ says asylum seeker Isaac

As soon as we got into the room I felt as though I wasnt welcome, says Isaac*, an asylum seeker from Central Africa, as he remembers his interview with the Home Office three years ago. The young man, who was claiming asylum on the grounds that he was tortured in his home country for attending anti-government protests, had been nervous before arriving at the interview. He quickly discovered the process was even more nerve-racking than he had feared.
It wasnt an interview it was an interrogation, he says. To me, an interrogation is just when you are interviewing a criminal, and someone who has committed a crime.
The Home Office caseworker asked Isaac more than 300 questions over four hours, yet he recalls that he wasnt offered any water: My throat was dry. I was stressed. Im not used to cold, and it was cold at the time. All of these things definitely had an impact on my interview.
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Isaac, who is in his early thirties and and was a businessman in his home country, was subsequently refused asylum, and is now awaiting a decision on his appeal.
He is one of 30 survivors of torture whose asylum case files have been reviewed as part of new research into the experience of the asylum interview for torture survivors seeking asylum in the UK. The report, by charity Freedom from Torture, concludes that the Home Office repeatedly breaches its own guidelines during asylum interviews and lets down many of those it is supposed to protect.
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More than half of immigration and asylum appeals are now successful, official figures show, with more than 23,000 people seeing their refusals overturned after appealing decisions in the 12 months to March last year, prompting concern about asylum decision making and the quality of the interviews.
Transcripts of Isaacs interview, seen by The Independent, show that he brought up his experience of torture a number of times, but that the caseworker didnt follow up on these disclosures.
At one point, on being asked where he was taken after being arrested, Isaac said: Everyone started beating and started asking questions and telling me I was the one who was inciting, propagating insurrection but the caseworker proceeded to ask only how many people were present.
Later on in the interview, Isaac stated that he received torture and beating while detained, and then goes on to explain that someone helped him clean the wound he obtained from this, but the caseworker at no point in the interview asked for further detail about his experience of torture.
Describing the line of questioning, Isaac says: When I tried to tell them that I had been tortured, the interviewer didnt ask me any other questions about it or try and find out about what had happened to me.
You know, if someone doesnt give you the room to speak and doesnt try to make you feel comfortable when youre discussing trauma, it becomes incredibly stressful. It makes it impossible to give the right information that they need.
The findings of Freedom from Tortures report, based on reviews of transcripts of asylum interviews carried out by the Home Office in 2017 or 2018 and a series of focus groups and interviews involving 25 torture survivors who had attended asylum interviews, shows they were often prevented from giving a full account of their experiences or denied the opportunity to explain their evidence.
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The report states that some Home Office case workers were found to employ poor questioning technique and were likely to default to disbelieving the survivor during the interviews, with sensitivity and professional approach to claimants not always maintained.
One excerpt from a transcript included in the report reveals that a caseworker asked a claimant whether they were raped, to which the claimant responded: Yes beaten and raped and left naked, I dont like to think about it, and started to cry. The caseworker then immediately asked the asylum seeker: How many times were you beaten and raped over the five days?
In other cases, asylum seekers spoke of male interpreters being allocated when a female interpreter had been requested, or allocation of an interpreter who spoke the incorrect dialect or poor English, making it more difficult for them to explain their account fully to the caseworker.
One woman, Sara, told the researchers: I requested for a female interpreter and female caseworker, but both were male… Since I had [a] male interpreter, I couldnt concentrate on the interview. I was just thinking of the interpreter… I told [the caseworker], I cant share everything. They said, Okay, thats fine.
Ahmad, from the Middle East, meanwhile describes having to explain being tortured for freedom of expression in his home country through an interpreter who he said couldnt speak a high standard of English.
Imagine trying to explain that there had been a massacre, and your translator having to search for the appropriate word on google, he says. I can speak some English, and when I heard the interpreter translating my words wrong, I would try to speak for myself, but the interviewer kept on telling me to answer in Arabic for the translator.
Home Office showed institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards race Windrush report finds
I tried to explain that I needed to speak for myself as the interpreter was not saying what I was saying, but I was silenced. Worse yet, between the agonising misinterpretations they didnt even get to the bottom of my story.
Ahmad was initially refused asylum, but was granted on appeal. He has now completed a masters and plans to become a pharmacist.
He adds: My application was denied because of the issues with my interpreter. When I saw what the Home Office thought my story was, it was completely wrong. The interpreter had mistranslated my story into a different version of the truth.
Sonya Sceats, chief executive of Freedom from Torture, said the reports findings shone a light on the Home Offices culture of disbelief in the wake of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review which attributed the Windrush scandal in part to a culture of disbelief and carelessness in the department and called for fundamental culture changes in the system.
It is yet another illustration of how a system corrupted by a culture of hostility and exclusion contributes to the misery and desperation of people in need of help. There have been glimmers of light and an acknowledgment of the need for change. But strong action is essential, she said.
In the context of a powerful movement for race equality and in the face of evidence showing the harmful impact on vulnerable people, the Home Office can no longer turn a blind eye to the injustice and hostility hardwired into the asylum system.
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UK news in pictures
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21/50 7 June 2020
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22/50 6 June 2020
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23/50 5 June 2020
Protesters kneel in Trafalgar Square during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, England. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
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Protestors march from Windsor Castle in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement
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People on Brighton beach after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown
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1/50 27 June 2020
A protest for Justice for Shukri Abdi on Trafalgar Square in London, following a raft of Black Lives Matter protests across the UK
2/50 26 June 2020
Police at the scene of an incident at the Park Inn Hotel in central Glasgow. Scottish police said armed officers shot dead a man after a suspected stabbing in the city centre left six others injured, including one of their colleagues. Several roads were closed and the surrounding area was cordoned off
3/50 25 June 2020
A horse is washed down at Haydock Racecourse
4/50 24 June 2020
People enjoy the hot weather on Margate beach
5/50 23 June 2020
Tony Bennett the owner of The Devereux pub in Temple, London. Pub and hospitality bosses have cheered the Government’s proposals to allow customers through their doors again on July 4 as “a welcome relief”. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday June 23, 2020. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that pubs, restaurants and cinemas will be able to reopen from July 4, with “one metre-plus” distancing measures in place
6/50 22 June 2020
Police forensics officers carry out a search near Forbury Gardens, in Reading town centre, the scene of a multiple stabbing attack which took place at around 7pm on Saturday, leaving three people dead and another three seriously injured
7/50 21 June 2020
Soccer Football – Premier League – Everton v Liverpool – Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain – June 21, 2020 Children play football outside the stadium before the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
8/50 20 June 2020
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9/50 19 June 2020
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French President Emmanuel Macron gestures about social distancing alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he arrives at Downing Street for a meeting. Macron also visited London to commemorate the 80th anniversary of former French president Charles de Gaulle’s appeal to French people to resist the Nazi occupation during World War II
11/50 17 June 2020
Players kneel, as well as, having ‘Black Lives Matter’ in place of names on their shirts prior to the start of the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Sheffield United at Villa Park in Birmingham. The league resumed after its three-month suspension because of coronavirus
12/50 16 June 2020
Motakhayyel ridden by Jim Crowley, right, wins the Buckingham Palace Handicap during day one of Royal Ascot. This year, the flat racing’s biggest meeting, is behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak
13/50 15 June 2020
Queues form at Primark at the Rushden Lakes shopping complex after the government relaxed coronavirus lockdown laws significantly, allowing zoos, safari parks and non-essential shops to open to visitors
14/50 14 June 2020
A man kneels at a commemoration to mark the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in London. The fire claimed 72 lives on 14 June 2017
15/50 13 June 2020
Protesters confront police in Whitehall near Parliament Square, during a protest by the Democratic Football Lads Alliance
16/50 12 June 2020
A Black Lives Matter supporter sings to crowds who marched with her in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in London. The death of an African American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
17/50 11 June 2020
Scouts show their support at the Lord Baden-Powell statue in Poole. The statue of Robert Baden-Powell on Poole Quay is to be placed in “safe storage” following concerns about his racial views
18/50 10 June 2020
Social distancing markers around the penguin enclosure at London Zoo. Staff have been preparing and are now ready for reopening next week with new signage, one-way trails for visitors to follow, and extra handwashing and sanitiser stations in place
19/50 9 June 2020
Protestors hold placards and shout slogans during during a protest called by the Rhodes Must Fall campaign calling for the removal of the statue of British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes outside Oriel College, at the University of Oxford
20/50 8 June 2020
Hermione Wilson helps to install a new artwork at Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh, created as a tribute to the NHS titled “A Thousand Thank Yous” originally devised by the late Allan Kaprow which consists of colourful painted messages on cardboard and has been directed remotely by London-based artist Peter Liversidge
21/50 7 June 2020
The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol
22/50 6 June 2020
Children pose for their family in front of discarded placards fixed on a wall in Piccadilly Gardens after a Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Manchester. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
23/50 5 June 2020
Protesters kneel in Trafalgar Square during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, England. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
24/50 4 June 2020
Protestors march from Windsor Castle in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement
25/50 3 June 2020
People wearing face masks hold banners in Hyde Park during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis
26/50 2 June 2020
Street artist Nath Murdoch touches up his anti-racism mural in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
27/50 1 June 2020
Customers socially distance themselves as they queue to enter Ikea in Warrington. The store opening saw large queues of people and traffic on adjacent roads as it reopened after the lockdown. The furniture and housewares chain reopened its stores across England and Northern Ireland subject to several restrictions, keeping its restaurants closed and asking customers to shop alone
28/50 31 May 2020
A man wearing a protective face mask kneels in front of police officers during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd near the U.S. Embassy, London, Britai
29/50 30 May 2020
Visitors at Grassholme Reservoir in Lunedale, Co Durham are able to cross an ancient packhorse bridge as work on the dam wall means water levels have dropped signifcantly to reveal this monument of the pas
30/50 29 May 2020
British Tennis player Maia Lumsden in action at Bridge of Allan Tennis Club. People can meet family and friends outdoors and play sports such as golf and tennis again as the country is moving into phase one of the Scottish Government’s plan for gradually lifting lockdown
31/50 28 May 2020
A police frogman, searches for a weapon in Abington Lake in in Northampton
32/50 27 May 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears before the Liaison Committee via Zoom from the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street, amid the coronavirus
33/50 26 May 2020
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34/50 25 May 2020
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35/50 24 May 2020
A demonstrator holds a sign reading ‘Why are you above the law?’ outside the house of Dominic Cummings in London, following allegations Cummings broke coronavirus lockdown rules by travelling across the country
36/50 23 May 2020
People take a walk near Durdle Door as cows graze in Lulworth
37/50 22 May 2020
Waves break onto a wall at Brighton beach
38/50 21 May 2020
Cafe owner Francini Osorio serves customers in a trial phase during the coronavirus lockdown. Osorio has installed an air purifier and 35 clear shower curtains, which will divide customers and tables, in the Francini Cafe De Colombia, Worcester, ready for the re-opening of his business as lockdown restrictions are eased
39/50 20 May 2020
People at Bournemouth beach in Dorset, as people flock to parks and beaches with lockdown measures eased. The Met Office has predicted the hottest day of the year
40/50 19 May 2020
A dog jumps into the water as families relax at a Lido in London
41/50 18 May 2020
A fan celebrates outside Celtic Park after Celtic were crowned champions of the Scottish Premiership. Hearts were also relegated after a decision was made to conclude the season with immediate effect
42/50 17 May 2020
People on Brighton beach after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown
43/50 16 May 2020
Police lead away Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as protesters gather in breach of lockdown rules in Hyde Park in London after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.
44/50 15 May 2020
Estonian freelance ballet dancer and choreographer, Eve Mutso performs her daily fitness routine near her home in Glasgow, Scotland
45/50 14 May 2020
Senior charge nurse Jan Ferguson views artwork “Theatre of Dott’s” by Kate Ive, inspired by Professor Norman Dott and his neurosurgery theatres at the Western General from 1960-2019. It is one of a number of artworks which sit on the walls of NHS Lothians’ Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN) which has been transferred into a purpose-built new home on the Little France campus in Edinburgh
46/50 13 May 2020
Team GB’s karate athlete Jordan Thomas trains outside his apartment in Manchester
47/50 12 May 2020
Nurses from central London hospitals protest on international nurses day about the chronic underfunding of the NHS and other issues surrounding the health service outside the gates of Downing Street, London
48/50 11 May 2020
Waves crash at Tynemouth pier on the North East coast
49/50 10 May 2020
A woman passes street art and a poster in East London
50/50 9 May 2020
Police patrol the beach in Brighton
While the research was carried about before the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK, the charity says is particularly important now for problems within the asylum system to be considered in order to inform the processes be they face-to-face or remote the Home Office puts in place during and post-Covid-19.
A Home Office spokesperson said: We do not recognise these allegations. We have a proud history of supporting asylum seekers and our caseworkers follow the latest Home Office guidance and receive extensive training before they are permitted to conduct asylum interviews.
All asylum seekers have access to legal advice and translation services if they require them. They are also given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken.
*Names have been changed to protect identities