Refugees fight forced return to Iraq war zones

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/apr/13/immigrationpolicy.iraq

UN dismay as tribunal allows British expulsions
Jamie Doward, home affairs editor The Observer, Sunday April 13 2008

The United Nations last night accused the government of holding a 'sword of Damocles' over the heads of Iraqi refugees in Britain after it emerged that the Home Office had won a landmark test case giving it the power to return refugees to war-torn parts of their home country, including Basra and Baghdad.

The ruling, which is being studied closely by other European countries, has alarmed refugee support groups, who say it means asylum seekers from war zones could be returned to other dangerous countries, such as Somalia.

The Refugee Legal Centre has launched an urgent appeal against the ruling by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, which it says paves the way for the removal of the majority of Iraqi asylum seekers in the UK.

'If we didn't appeal the tribunal's decision, the government would have a free hand to forcibly remove hundreds of Iraqi civilians to Baghdad,' said Caroline Slocock, chief executive of the legal centre.

[RC]

1. Well, the Iraqi citizens are the enemy after all. Aren't they the

insurgents we are fighting? Sure they are. How dare they defend their country when we invade them for our oil. Don't they like demokracy? The cowards need to summit to our superior ways.

:sarcasm: smilie For the Hillary supporters.