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Migration Jurisprudence from the South › United Kingdom

Saadi v. the United Kingdom (Grand Chamber)

European Court of Human Rights · United Kingdom · 2008-01-29 · Regional court or body

Citation: App. no. 13229/03
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided against the migrant side

Question

May an asylum seeker be detained for a week for fast-track processing even though he poses no risk of absconding?

What the court decided

Yes. Short detention to process a claim quickly falls within Article 5(1)(f), provided it is not arbitrary; but the delay in giving reasons breached Article 5(2).

In plain language

An Iraqi asylum seeker was held for seven days at a centre so his claim could be decided fast. The Grand Chamber said this was allowed.

Dalam bahasa sederhana

Seorang pencari suaka Irak ditahan tujuh hari di sebuah pusat agar permohonannya cepat diputus. Majelis Agung menyatakan itu boleh.

Pertanyaan: Bolehkah pencari suaka ditahan seminggu untuk pemrosesan cepat meski tidak berisiko kabur?

What happened afterwards

  • 2008-01-29: Judgment.

Sources

Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).

Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/echr-saadi-2008/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.

For researchers

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