28 March 2012
Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
Removing
asylum seekers to processing centres outside the UK would be
unlawful
According
to leading immigration barristers Ian MacDonald QC and Nadine
Finch, the UK government proposals to remove asylum-seekers to
holding and processing centres outside the the UK would breach
the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention and the
European Convention of Human Rights. Their legal opinion on the
matter was obtained by Justice and argues that:
“automatic removal of asylum seekers to a location outside of the European Union before substantive consideration of their application would not conform with internationally recognised human rights and refugee protection standards and is likely to be in breach of the United Kingdom’s obligations under the Refugee Convention”
and would give rise to
“a serious possibility of a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights”.
Anneliese Baldaccini of Justice comments:
“The government should continue to uphold its obligations under international human rights and refugee law by allowing refugees who reach the UK to claim asylum here in the UK”.
Justice press release (pdf file), 20 June 2003; Legal Opinion (pdf file)
EU buffer states and UNHCR “processing” centres
and "safe havens": Statewatch coverage
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.
Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.