Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in their ruling on a case known as ‘BK’ stated that “on return to the DRC failed asylum seekers do not per se face a real risk of persecution or serious harm or treatment contrary to Article 3 ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights)”,

In response Donna Covey, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council said:

“The 2 recent court rulings, allowing refused asylum seekers to be forcibly returned to Zimbabwe and the DRC, make it more important than ever that the UK asylum system is robust in providing protection to those who need it. These can literally be matters of life and death, and there is still too much evidence of a culture of disbelief within the system, a concern that is borne out by the high level of successful appeals. Given the difficulties in monitoring the fate of refused asylum seekers who are removed from the UK, it is vital that that fair decisions are made at every stage of the process.”