On Sunday, the Home Office confirmed that it had forcibly removed 15 Iraqi asylum seekers to Iraq. The following press releases were issued by the Refugee Council as the events over the weekend unfolded.
Response to reports that forced removals are planned (Thursday, 17 Nov)
Statement calling on Government to not go ahead with forced returns (Saturday, 19 Nov)
Response to the forced removal of 15 Iraqis (Sunday, 20 Nov)
Response to reports that forced removals are planned (Thursday, 17 Nov)
Documents leaked to Channel 4 News revealed that the government is planning to forcibly remove Iraqi asylum seekers this weekend. Maeve Sherlock, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council said:
“We are appalled by this development. All anyone needs to do is watch the news to see just how dangerous Iraq is at the moment. There is no evidence that the situation in Iraq is improving at all.
“Other countries have recognised the folly of this approach. Switzerland has decided to give subsidiary protection status to Iraqi asylum seekers because it is neither safe nor practical to remove people to Iraq. Even the US State Department has advised that terrorists are targeting civilian flights which shows just how dangerous these plans are.
“The bottom line is that the government is planning to force people to return to a country torn apart by war and insurgency.
“Many Iraqis are keen to return to Iraq and rebuild their lives once it is safe for them to do so.
“We urge the government to reconsider this course of action as a matter of urgency.”
Ends
Statement calling on Government to not go ahead with forced returns (Saturday, 19 Nov)
Refugee Council makes urgent call on government not to send people back to Iraq.
The Refugee Council calls on the government to have a last minute change of heart and not to send people back to Iraq. An unknown number of Iraqi Kurds are in detention centres tonight and are due to be flown back to the war torn region some time tomorrow. Lawyers from the Refugee Legal Centre are trying to make eleventh hour representations on behalf of some of the detainees – but in many cases the people threatened with removal have had orders served so late that they’ve been unable to get any legal advice or representation.
The Chief Executive of the Refugee Council Maeve Sherlock said this evening:
“This is a deplorable situation. At the very least, people rounded up like this and facing imminent removal should be able to consult a lawyer.
“It’s clear that in many cases this is not happening. There is no excuse for the government acting with such haste and such secrecy. We call on ministers to stop these removals planned for tomorrow – it is not safe to return people to any part of Iraq as the UN High Commission for Refugees has made clear this evening.”
Ends
Response to the forced removal of 15 Iraqis (Sunday, 20 Nov)
The Home Office confirmed that it forcibly removed 15 Iraqis in the early hours of Sunday morning. The Refugee Council deplores the return of asylum seekers to Iraq today. Tim Finch, Director of Communications said this afternoon:
“We are appalled that despite our calls – and against the advice of the UN High Commission for Refugees in London – the government has gone ahead with the forced return of 15 men back to Iraq. The situation across all parts of Iraq remains highly volatile and insecure, with terrorist attacks, kidnappings and chronic political instability. And we do not believe the
government has taken sufficient steps to ensure the safety of the people it has sent back today to this war torn region.
The way the Home Office has handled this removal process has been deplorable. People who are rounded up and detained awaiting removal should at least be able to get access to a lawyer who can make last minute representations on their behalf. It is clear that in many cases this has not happened. The government has acted in secrecy and with undue haste and that cannot be right when people fear for their lives if they are returned.
Ends
Notes to editors
The UNHCR spokesman in London tonight on 19 November said ” We don’t recommend that anyone return to Iraq and we do suggest that if anyone wants to return, obviously they return home voluntarily. “
News coverage
BBC Website:
Fears over Iraqi’s return from UK (Monday, 21 Nov)
First Iraqis set to be deported (Saturday, 19 Nov)
Guardian: Iraqis forcibly removed on overnight flights (Monday, 21 Nov)
