Zim asylum seekers double after UK ruling

Zim asylum seekers double after UK ruling

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By Staff Reporter

THE number of people from Zimbabwe claiming asylum in Britain rose dramatically in the first quarter of the year after a United Kingdom court ruling barring their deportation.

According to Home Office figures on Tuesday, Zimbabwean asylum-seeker numbers jumped 96 percent to 755 from January to March against the previous three months.

The rise has been widely attributed to a ruling last October from the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal which barred the deportation of two Zimbabweans, saying that as asylum-seekers they would be in danger of persecution from the government of President Robert Mugabe if sent home.

The ruling set a precedent for all such cases and prompted the government to halt deportations to Zimbabwe pending an appeal.

But last month the British government, a fierce critic of Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, won that appeal, opening the way to a resumption of deportations and suggesting future asylum requests might fall in coming months as fast as they rose.

Overall those claiming asylum, excluding dependants, in Britain rose five percent in the first quarter of 2006 to 6 455 in contrast to 4 930 removals of people denied asylum.

The removal figure was up 17 percent on the previous quarter, giving some respite to the government which has been heavily criticised in recent months over its handling of asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants.

In March, an all-party parliamentary committee said the country's asylum policy was being undermined by its failure to remove thousands of applicants who have no right to stay.

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee said that at current levels it would take between 10 and 18 years to remove the existing backlog of failed asylum-seekers.

In another blow, the High Court accused the government this month of "abuse of power" for refusing to allow nine Afghans who hijacked a plane to Britain to stay in the country as refugees.

According to figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Britain was the third most-popular western destination for asylum-seekers last year behind the United States and the leader, France.

Germany was fourth. - Reuters
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