Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Public law director, Ahmed Aydeed has extensive specialist experience in advising individuals on all types of public law issues. He has a broad practice in public law and human rights matters, including; asylum, international protection, EU law, nationality law, administrative detention, discrimination and equality, family and child care proceedings. He has represented individuals in judicial review proceedings against the Lord Chancellor, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the Crown Court and local authorities.

His recent work includes a challenge to the Home Office’s policy on the detention of trafficking survivors in immigration detention, as well as the challenge against the Home Office policy terminating all statutory support to slavery victims in the UK after just 45 days. Thanks to his vast experience acting for victims of slavery and human trafficking, Ahmed understood that relief should not be limited to a 45 day period and therefore issued proceedings against the policy on behalf of two clients both victims of trafficking who were due to lose their specialist support as a consequence of this rule.

Following complex and lengthy proceedings, the Home Office conceded that the 45-day policy was unlawful and incompatible with the Trafficking Convention and that support should be provided in reference to the individual’s needs rather than by any reference to how long the individual has been supported. As a result of Ahmed’s work in this case, currently over 600 individuals have benefitted.

Ahmed has been at the forefront in the battle against unlawful detention of migrants in the UK, focussing in particular on the criminalisation and detention of victims of trafficking, torture, and modern slavery, as well as unaccompanied minor refugees. The litigation Ahmed has brought against the Secretary of State for the Home Department has had a significant impact on thousands of asylum-seekers, by ensuring that the Secretary of State implements effective safe-guards to prevent the unlawful procession of asylum claims and the unlawful detention of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.

He has brought successful class action challenges against the SSHD for the procession of asylum claims and the administrative detention of highly vulnerable asylum seekers under the fast track process (DFT) and the Detained Asylum Casework process (DAC); the criminalisation and administrative detention of victims of trafficking; and the policy and application of Detention Centre Rules 34 and 35.