Human rights champion praises Scots welcome for refugees

Source: Scottish Refugee Council

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights organisation Liberty, called on Scots to ‘set an example of welcome’ to refugees from across the world today (Friday, 14 January)

Speaking as a guest at the Scottish Refugee Council Annual General Meeting, held at Edinburgh’s City Chambers, Chakrabarti stated the need to recognise the importance of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which marks its 60th anniversary this year.

She said: “The UN Refugee Convention is more important now than ever when we think of the refugees yet to come and the lives yet to be saved by this incredibly important document.

"The Convention isn’t just a wonderful, beautiful antique that we should treasure. It’s just as pertinent now as it was 60 years ago, and even more pertinent in our  shrinking, interconnected world. “I think there's a real opportunity for Scotland to build upon its tradition of warmth and welcome, and set an example here in the UK and in Europe for welcoming refugees. We don’t want a fortress Europe keeping refugees out.”

Chakrabarti is director of Liberty, a UK-wide charity which campaigns to protect our basic rights and freedoms. She is well-known as a commentator and challenger on human rights for us all – including people who’ve sought refuge in our country.

In the run-up to the UK Elections last May, Scottish Refugee Council joined Liberty and the Refugee Council in England to call on party leaders and candidates to sign an asylum election pledge and remember the importance of providing safety to people fleeing war, torture and persecution in debates on asylum and immigration. A total of 1,031 candidates signed the pledge including the leaders of all four main parties (Conservative, Labour, Lib Dems and SNP).

In 2011, Scottish Refugee Council, along with many other refugee charities, will be marking 60 years since the UN Refugee Convention was put in place. It is as crucial as ever that our governments honour their part in this lifesaving document – and continues to protect the rights of people fleeing war, torture and persecution.

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• Asylum-seeking families in Glasgow face imminent move (irr.org.uk)

In Glasgow, dispersal of asylum seekers is set to start in days

Watch video report from today's protest

Source: Herald Scotland

By Gerry Braiden

Asylum seekers living in Glasgow will start to be moved to other areas of Scotland as early as today, The Herald understands.

The move comes after the city council and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) failed to agree a new contract to house 1300 asylum seekers in the city.

With pressure mounting on the UKBA to reverse its stance, the leaders of all but one of the political groups within Glasgow City Council called on the agency to enter into a “genuine dialogue” over its plans.

The joint statement says: “To now have families, some of whom have been settled in the city for years, threatened with eviction and relocation with minimal notice is unacceptable.”

The statement comes as questions are raised over UKBA’s handling of the matter in the past week, particularly a letter it sent to about 600 households informing the asylum seeker residents that they could be moved with just a few days notice to somewhere else “within the Scotland region”.

The letter provoked fear and alarm among those who received it, but there are also concerns about the impact of the contract cancellation on a number of services.

Read more »

Political reaction to Supreme Court decision

The Scottish National Party welcomed the Supreme Court decision on LGBT asylum.

SNP MSP for the South of Scotland Aileen Campbell said:

Last October at SNP Conference I seconded a motion which the party membership voted unanimously in favour of to overhaul asylum rules, which at the time did not allow people to seek asylum on the grounds of sexuality.

While it is shameful that any country in the world would persecute someone for being gay, it is also shameful that the UK has refused in the past to protect those same people.

I’m delighted that that has now changed for the better. Hopefully this is just the start of further significant changes which must still be made so that there is a fair and just asylum system that of which we can be proud.

Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes said:.

I am delighted this ruling recognises the rights of gay asylum seekers, ensuring their freedom from persecution around the world.

This plight is one that my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I have campaigned on for years. It is an issue that the Coalition Government is committed to addressing as we seek to restore Britain’s reputation around the world as a leader in the protection of human rights. I believe that today’s ruling will go some way to restoring that reputation.

Other countries around the world must now follow the UK’s lead and recognise freedom of expression and freedom of sexuality for all people.

Conservative Party Home Secretary Theresa May said:

I welcome the ruling of the Supreme Court, which vindicates the position of the coalition government. We have already promised to stop the removal of asylum seekers who have had to leave particular countries because their sexual orientation or gender identification puts them at proven risk of imprisonment, torture or execution.

I do not believe it is acceptable to send people home and expect them to hide their sexuality to avoid persecution. From today, asylum decisions will be considered under the new rules and the judgment gives an immediate legal basis for us to reframe our guidance for assessing claims based on sexuality, taking into account relevant country guidance and the merits of each individual case.

We will of course take any decisions on a case by case basis looking at the situation in the country of origin and the merits of individual cases in line with our commitment.'

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

The Government has said that it would not return LGBT asylum seekers to countries where they face severe persecution.

Today's ruling gives legal force to this policy, and means that the Home Office must abandon its shameful practice of using the 'keep quiet and you will be safe' argument to return lesbian, gay and bisexual asylum seekers to persecution and death in their native countries.

The TUC has written to the Home Secretary to seek a meeting to press for the policy and practice of the UK Border Agency to be changed immediately.

In an interview with pinknews.co.uk, former Foreign Secretary and leading candidate for the Labour Party leadership David Miliband said he was unaware of that morning's Supreme Court ruling  and had apparently not heard of the Labour-introduced policy that gay asylum seekers can be returned home if it is decided they can be "discreet".

I don't know about the case. I think the whole point is that [things are done] on a case by case basis.