Zimbabweans whose asylum claim has been turned down may now face being sent back after a tribunal ruled that it was not illegal for the government to enforce removals.

In response to the ruling given today at the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal concerning the removal to Zimbabwe of asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected, Tim Finch, Director of Communications for the Refugee Council said:

“We are disappointed to hear this ruling; we still think it’s not safe to remove anybody to Zimbabwe in the present circumstances.

The ruling, while restoring the legal right to enforce removals, nonetheless makes it clear that a lot of people are at real risk if they are sent back. The government has won a small legal victory but not the moral argument.

We are very concerned to hear that the Government is signalling plans to carry out removals this month on the justification that there has been a rise in applications. The judgement doesn’t give a green light to mass removals at all and we hope the government will tread very cautiously and put safety first. In the end, one person sent back who faces persecution or worse, is one person too many.”

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