The Joint Committee on Human Rights today published its fifth report on the Asylum & Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill. Responding to the report the Refugee Council’s Chief Executive, Maeve Sherlock, said:

“We very much welcome the Committee’s recognition that this Bill threatens to deny asylum seekers a fair hearing of their asylum claim.

“The Committee points out that removing access to judicial review of appeal tribunal decisions carries a real and grave risk that this violates the rule of law.

“We urge the Government to take these criticisms seriously and to act on them. Not doing so will mean judicial oversight will be excluded from the asylum process and may well result in refugees being wrongly returned to face torture or worse.”

Ends

Links

Read the Joint Committee on Human Rights 5th report on the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill, UK Parliament website, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200304/jtselect/jtrights/35/3502.htm or download a pdf version here.

Read a summary of the report on the UK Parliament website, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200304/jtselect/jtrights/35/3503.htm

Read a report on the Guardian Unlimited website

Read the latest Refugee Council briefing on the Bill

Read the Bill at on the UK Parliament website, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmbills/005/2003005.htm

The Refugee Council is not responsible for the content of external websites.