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Accepted Paper:
Reasons for Refusal: an audit of 200 refusals of Ethiopian asylum-seekers in England
Trevor Trueman
(Oromia Support Group)
Paper short abstract:
not used
Paper long abstract:
Non-Governmental Organisations claim that barriers to being granted political asylum in Britain include unfair and incorrect decisions made by Home Office immigration caseworkers and judges.
The author has twenty years of experience of the human rights situation in Ethiopia, particularly that affecting Oromo people. Since 2000, he has written 200 expert witness reports for Ethiopians who had been refused asylum in the UK, of whom 137 were Oromo.
The results of an audit of the grounds used by the Home Office for refusing asylum in these cases, at the initial stage and at appeal, form the basis of this study.
Decision-makers attempt to discredit claims rather than establish their substance. Decisions are often based on inaccurate or distorted information and subjective assertions regarding an applicant's credibility which do not stand up to even superficial examination. The standard of reasoning is poor.
Expert reports are disregarded or discounted without reasonable justification.
The consequences of refusal of asylum claims are discussed with particular emphasis on the effects of refusal and detention on mental health.
The rationale behind the culture of disbelief which characterises asylum decision-making is discussed.
The courts, experts and deciding the law
Session 1