Asylum in the news

A round-up of asylum news for the weeks of 5th and 12th of July 2010.

Landmark ruling on gay asylum seekers

Gay asylum seekers can now fight deportation if they face the threat of persecution in their country of origin. In a previous ruling by the Court of Appeal, two asylum seekers from Iran and Cameroon failed to establish a right to remain in the UK. It was considered acceptable that they be returned to their countries of origin and conceal their sexuality through discreet behaviour. However, Lord Hope said that in an era of religious fundamentalism it was vital to establish the right to seek haven from homophobia. From now on immigration tribunals will assess whether applicants are gay and whether they would credibly face persecution if they were to not conceal their sexuality.

Fresh concerns regarding legal aid providers

The Legal Action Group has discovered that certain legal aid providers have not been allocated enough new cases to maintain profitable operations. The results come after a bidding exercise triggered by the collapse of RMJ, an organisation that was once responsible for roughly 10,000 immigration and asylum claims annually. This has prompted fears that more legal aid providers could be forced into closure, with significant consequences for those seeking asylum.

Portrait of a Kurdish asylum seeker

The Guardian has written a piece on an Iranian Kurd asylum seeker named Raza, who came to the UK in 2007 in the back of a lorry. In Iran he delivered Kurdish language newspapers to areas in his locality. When the authorities got wind of this, his father and sister were arrested, and he has not heard from them since. In the UK after his support was discontinued, he lived in destitution while pursuing an appeal against his failed asylum application, sleeping rough in parks and once being admitted into hospital for 2 weeks with hypothermia. Now he lives with in accommodation sponsored by the Boaz Trust, which runs an initiative whereby people offer spare rooms to asylum seekers, and have their friends or anyone willing, subsidise the rent. Meanwhile, Raza is contesting his proposed deportation.

New geography of racial tension

Researchers from the Institute of Race Relations have discovered that trends of ethnically motivated violence in the UK have changed significantly over the last few decades. Areas traditionally associated with racial strife have experienced a marked decline in levels of racist attacks, but those with little history of such incidents have increased notably. This is claimed to be the result of broader geographical spread of immigrants and asylum seekers. Studies suggest that ethnic violence has united the communities it previously affected.

Asylum in the news

Asylum in the news

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