The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, today issued the following statement:

“After extensive consideration of all the available evidence and official advice, I have decided to suspend removals of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe until after the elections are held in March.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely, with a view to re-appraising our position immediately after the elections are concluded”.

Links

To find out more, including a statement made to the BBC by the Refugee Council’s Deputy Chief Executive Margaret Lally, read BBC online’s coverage

Read the Guardian Unlimited’s coverage.

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