UK Immigration Court Rules On Sri Lanka Human Rights
Frances Harrison
The ruling in an important immigration case in Britain suggests that Sri Lanka’s human rights situation is far from improving, four years after the civil war ended.
Under new guidance issued by a British tribunal, a full investigation is now required if an asylum seeker is suspected by the government of Sri Lanka to have been a member of the Tamil Tiger rebel group. Several categories of people are now deemed to be at risk: Tamil diaspora activists, Tamil Tigers and their family members, journalists and human rights activists, those who’ve given war crimes evidence inside the country or are on a stop list at Colombo Airport resulting from an arrest warrant or court order. The UK ruling also concluded that anyone detained by the Sri Lankan security services faced “a real risk of ill-treatment or harm requiring international protection”.
“This decision sets a precedent for all courts in the UK, including the High Court, The Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, which are now required to follow this guidance” said immigration lawyer Arun Gananathan, “it’s also likely to influence asylum decisions in other countries and in the EU”.
The test case is being hailed as a victory by Tamil immigration lawyers, who’ve been fighting high profile deportation cases, involving asylum seekers who’d claimed torture or sexual abuse by the security forces before arriving in the UK. Among those who have been deported from the UK, fifteen are now known to have been tortured in Sri Lanka after their return.
