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Britain to deport Iraqis
17/08/2005 15:07 - (SA)
London - Britain has begun rounding up failed Iraqi asylum seekers and plans to deport them to their own country, the Home Office said on Tuesday.
The move triggered alarm at a refugee agency about the dangers of forcing people to return to a nation that is shaken by daily violence.
But the Home Office insisted it would only deport detainees to areas of Iraq that were safe.
"We continue to work towards enforced returns on a case-by-case basis to areas assessed as sufficiently stable and where we are satisfied that the individual concerned will not be at risk," a Home Office spokesman said.
"While we recognise the difficult situation in those parts of Iraq most affected by the insurgent action, we don't accept that this applies to all areas," he said.
"We will only return those who, after careful consideration, are found not to be at risk of persecution and have no need of international protection."
The Home Office refused to discuss the numbers currently being held, but the Refugee Council said it believed 43 had been arrested by the end of last week.
Britain is home to some 7 000 Iraqi asylum seekers. Until now they have only been sent back on a voluntary basis because the situation on the ground was considered so dangerous.
However the Home Office said it had been working towards a policy of enforced returns since February of last year.
"We continue to monitor developments in Iraq and will take decisions on the basis of the most current situation," the spokesman said.
Margaret Lally, deputy director of the Refugee Council, said she was "appalled" at the government's action and urged it to rethink its policy as a matter of urgency.
"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," she said in a statement posted on the council's website.
Lally accused the government of ignoring United Nations advice, which says it is too early to force people to return to Iraq.
"It is completely wrong to be detaining people who have made every effort to comply with the law simply as a holding operation prior to removal, let alone for the purpose of sending them back to a country torn apart by war and insurgency," said Lally.
- AFP
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