NEWS
On 23rd October 2007 the European Court of Human Rights wrote to UK government inviting them not to remove ethnic Tamils to Sri Lanka who are at risk of harm prohibited by Articles 2 and 3 ECHR. The Court expressed their concerns about the volume of rule 39 applications they are receiving.
The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has apologised after it emerged that government figures on foreign workers were underestimated by 300,000 Read the news story
The Special Rapporteur on Torture concluded a visit to Sri Lanka in October 2007 and found that torture is widely practiced in Sri Lanka and that such practice is prone to become routine in the context of counterterrorism operations More info
The Anti Trafficking Legal Project [ATLeP] launched a website accessible on EIN website on 11th October 2007. The project provides free training and resources including country bundles.
CASES
AA (SOMALIA) v SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT : AH (IRAN) v SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (2007)
The guidelines in the case of Devaseelan v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2002] UKIAT 702, [2003] Imm. A.R. 1 were considered by the Court of Appeal and in particular, what effect such guidelines had on cases involving different appellants but with closely related factual circumstances. The Court of Appeal accepted that the Devaseelan guidelines are relevant, and that the weight to be attached in immigration appeal to an earlier finding of fact also applied to cases even when the parties are different where there was a material overlap of evidence. More info
VA(Ghana)[2007] UKAIT 00091
A person who is treated as having been given leave by virtue of s8A(2) of 1971 Act is not a person who has been given leave in accordance with any of the provisions of these rules for the purposes of 284(i) of HC 395.
GG (political oppositionists)Ivory Coast CG [2007] UKAIT 00086
Risk on return considered for political oppositionists from Ivory Coast
EVENTS
ATLeP training course at Garden Court on 12th November 2007