Zimbabwe deportations remain freezed

Zimbabwe deportations remain freezed

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By Staff Reporter

A HIGH Court judge has instructed the British government not to restart deporting failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe until its immigration policy has been reviewed.

The move follows the appeals of four Zimbabwean hunger-strikers who claimed they would face abuse or even death if they were forced to go back.

Their cases were adjourned by Justice Collins pending a hearing before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal which is to look at fresh evidence relating to the situation in Zimbabwe.

The judge was assured that in the meantime the Government's suspension of all removals to Zimbabwe would continue.

A row erupted last November when the UK lifted a ban which had prevented Zimbabweans from being deported against their will and 95 failed asylum seekers were removed from Britain in the first three months of 2005.

But in May President Robert Mugabe began the demolition of homes in the Zimbabwean capital Harare.

Tens of thousands of people were detained and hundreds of thousands more were made homeless.

Protests began among asylum seekers in the UK who were afraid to return home and insisted they would face detention and torture.

Hunger strikes began in June with more than 40 people refusing food in protest at the deportations.

They were finally halted last month when judges said there was evidence that people arriving back in the country were suffering abuse because they had claimed asylum in the UK.

There are now 106 failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers being held at detention centres around the country - ITN
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