Latest news with #IraqiKurd
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illegal migrant can stay in UK because his ID was stolen
An illegal Iraqi Kurd migrant has been allowed to stay in Britain because his ID documents were stolen by the 'agent' who got him into the UK. The 31-year-old, who has not been named, has lost contact with his family since coming to Britain in 2016. Upper tribunal judge Sarah Pinder said this meant that he could not expect any family members to help him retrieve the necessary identity documents to be able to return to Iraq. Nor was he likely to be able to get new ID papers from the Iraq embassy in London. Returning to Iraq without documents to prove his identity would put him in danger because of the tough border controls and security checks operated by the state. Judge Pinder ruled that this would put the migrant at risk of treatment that would breach his human rights under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which states that 'no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in all circumstances'. She granted the Iraqi Kurd's appeal against his deportation by the Home Office, allowing him to remain in the UK 'on humanitarian protection grounds'. The disclosure, in court documents, sets a potential precedent for Channel migrants with data showing as few as one in 50 arrive with passports, often after being told by people smugglers to destroy them. Iraq was one of the top seven nations for Channel crossings last year with 2,064 reaching the UK in small boats. Labour has negotiated a new returns agreement with Iraq to swiftly deport illegal migrants who reach the UK from the country. It is part of a security pact for sharing intelligence and co-operation to crack down on people-smuggling gangs, which include many led by Iraqi Kurds. The case is the latest example exposed by The Telegraph where illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have used human rights laws to remain in the UK or halt their deportations. They include an Albanian criminal who avoided deportation after claiming his son had an aversion to foreign chicken nuggets, and a Pakistani paedophile who was jailed for child sex offences but escaped removal from the UK as it would be 'unduly harsh' on his own children. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said the ruling was 'ludicrous'. 'We cannot allow an illegal immigrant to stay in the UK simply because he claims to have lost his papers – anyone could make this claim. The Government should simply ask the Iraqi embassy to issue the new relevant travel documents,' he said. 'Once again, we see a decision by an immigration judge that totally defies common sense. It is time judges in the immigration tribunal started applying some common sense and ensuring illegal immigrants with no right to be here are actually removed, rather than being allowed to stay on spurious or flimsy grounds.' The court was told the Iraqi Kurd was 10 when he was taken in by his uncle after his mother remarried. She is believed to have moved to Iran. In the eight years since he came to Britain, he had lost contact with his uncle. Efforts to track him down by the Red Cross, and an Iranian friend who travelled to Iraq, had failed. 'I do not accept that the appellant can resort to his family members in order to assist him with retrieving any existing identity documents nor with otherwise meeting and/or vouching for him at any arrival in the Iraqi Kurdish Region (IKR) to permit his entry into the IKR,' said Judge Pinder. She also said the 'level of information' provided by the Iraqi embassy was 'not sufficient for me to find that the appellant would be likely to secure identity documentation'. Judge Pinder concluded: 'Thus, I am satisfied that the appellant is reasonably unlikely to secure an Iraqi identity document, whether in the UK or on arrival in the IKR, which would permit him to enter the IKR and to travel internally without subjecting him to treatment, contrary to Article 3 ECHR.' Judge Pinder has made controversial rulings including allowing a Zimbabwean paedophile to stay in Britain because he would face 'hostility' in his home country. She was also one of two judges to declare that a Sudanese asylum seeker was a child despite the Home Office saying he was at least 23 with a receding hairline. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Illegal migrant can stay in UK because his ID was stolen
An illegal Iraqi Kurd migrant has been allowed to stay in Britain because his ID documents were stolen by the 'agent' who got him into the UK. The 31-year-old, who has not been named, has lost contact with his family since coming to Britain in 2016. Upper tribunal judge Sarah Pinder said this meant that he could not expect any family members to help him retrieve the necessary identity documents to be able to return to Iraq. Nor was he likely to be able to get new ID papers from the Iraq embassy in London. Returning to Iraq without documents to prove his identity would put him in danger because of the tough border controls and security checks operated by the state. Judge Pinder ruled that this would put the migrant at risk of treatment that would breach his human rights under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which states that 'no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in all circumstances'. She granted the Iraqi Kurd 's appeal against his deportation by the Home Office, allowing him to remain in the UK 'on humanitarian protection grounds'. The disclosure, in court documents, sets a potential precedent for Channel migrants with data showing as few as one in 50 arrive with passports, often after being told by people smugglers to destroy them. Iraq was one of the top seven nations for Channel crossings last year with 2,064 reaching the UK in small boats. Labour has negotiated a new returns agreement with Iraq to swiftly deport illegal migrants who reach the UK from the country. It is part of a security pact for sharing intelligence and co-operation to crack down on people-smuggling gangs, which include many led by Iraqi Kurds. The case is the latest example exposed by The Telegraph where illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have used human rights laws to remain in the UK or halt their deportations. They include an Albanian criminal who avoided deportation after claiming his son had an aversion to foreign chicken nuggets, and a Pakistani paedophile who was jailed for child sex offences but escaped removal from the UK as it would be 'unduly harsh' on his own children. 'Defies common sense' Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, said the ruling was 'ludicrous'. 'We cannot allow an illegal immigrant to stay in the UK simply because he claims to have lost his papers – anyone could make this claim. The Government should simply ask the Iraqi Embassy to issue the new relevant travel documents,' he said. 'Once again, we see a decision by an immigration judge that totally defies common sense. It is time judges in the immigration tribunal started applying some common sense and ensuring illegal immigrants with no right to be here are actually removed, rather than being allowed to stay on spurious or flimsy grounds.' The court was told the Iraqi Kurd was 10 when he was taken in by his uncle after his mother remarried. She is believed to have moved to Iran. In the eight years since he came to Britain, he had lost contact with his uncle. Efforts to track him down by the Red Cross, and an Iranian friend who travelled to Iraq had failed. 'I do not accept that the Appellant can resort to his family members in order to assist him with retrieving any existing identity documents nor with otherwise meeting and/or vouching for him at any arrival in the Iraqi Kurdish Region (IKR) to permit his entry into the IKR,' said Judge Pinder. She also said the 'level of information' provided by the Iraqi embassy was 'not sufficient for me to find that the appellant would be likely to secure identity documentation'. Judge Pinder concluded: 'Thus, I am satisfied that the appellant is reasonably unlikely to secure an Iraqi identity document, whether in the UK or on arrival in the IKR, which would permit him to enter the IKR and to travel internally without subjecting him to treatment, contrary to Article 3 ECHR.' Judge Pinder has made controversial rulings including allowing a Zimbabwean paedophile to stay in Britain because he would face 'hostility' in his home country. She was also one of two judges to declare that a Sudanese asylum seeker was a child despite the Home Office saying he was at least 23 with a receding hairline.
The Guardian
03-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Channel migrant dinghy tragedy ‘entirely predictable', inquiry hears
An inquiry into the biggest ever loss of life in a migrant dinghy in the Channel has heard that it was 'entirely predictable' that a catastrophic event involving mass casualties would occur. On Monday the Cranston inquiry began hearing evidence into the drownings of at least 27 people on 24 November 2021 in the narrow stretch of water separating the UK from France. The inquiry heard that the boat, thought to be carrying 33 people, including 13 women and eight children, was 'wholly unsuitable'. Along with the 27 confirmed dead, four people remain missing, while two survived. The dinghy, named Charlie by rescue services, was one of 209 boats that made the crossing in November 2021, the highest number recorded in a single month. Although in the years following the mass drowning at least 128 more migrants have lost their lives in the Channel, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration, the November 2021 incident remains the largest single loss of life since migrant crossings of the Channel in small boats began in 2018. The inquiry has been told about a litany of failings, including poor communication and understaffing, at the Dover coastguard on the night and a failure of Home Office intelligence sharing relating to the stricken dinghy. It emerged that Charlie was confused by authorities with another dinghy named Lima, which 35 people were successfully rescued from. Rory Phillips KC, counsel to the inquiry, said: 'No one in the UK was looking for Charlie and no one came to their rescue.' Instead 'incident Charlie' was marked as resolved and closed. Prior to the incident the Maritime and Coastguard Agency had flagged on its corporate risk register that it may become overwhelmed, resulting in loss of life. A request for more staff did not bear fruit, the inquiry heard. The boat left the French coast around 10pm on the night of 23 November 2021. About three hours later it started taking in water. The passengers began making panicked calls. In what is described as a 'harrowing' call at around 1.30am, 16-year old Iraqi Kurd Mubin Rizghar Hussein told the coastguard that everyone was in the water and 'everything will be finished'. At 2.30am he made another desperate call once again raising the alarm. He said the passengers were finished and would die. He was asked by the coastguard to stop calling. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion By 3.06am the boat was sinking and the last distress call was made at 3.11am. Sonali Naik KC, counsel for survivor Issa Mohamed Omar and some of the bereaved relatives, told the inquiry that due to the multiple failings on the night of the mass drowning, including poor communication and understaffing, the entirely predictable, catastrophic event occurred. Omar said he felt part of the reason he survived was to be a voice for those who lost their lives. Naik said that as early as September 2020 a lack of resources to rescue migrants in dinghies in distress had been flagged. 'It was only a matter of time before authorities would have to deal with so called 'non-survivors',' she said. The inquiry continues.
Iraqi News
10-02-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
Iraq President officially sues Iraqi PM, risking political crisis
Baghdad – Iraq's President has sued Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani over unpaid salaries for civil servants in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, bringing into focus a rift in the country's leadership. President Abdul Latif Rashid, an Iraqi Kurd, filed the lawsuit against Al-Sudani and Finance Minister Taif Sami last month, but his adviser, Hawri Tawfiq, only announced it on Sunday. The case, submitted to Iraq's top court, seeks an order to ensure salaries are paid 'without interruption' despite ongoing financial disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, the regional capital. Iraq's public sector is wracked with inefficiency and corruption, and analysts say Al-Sudani and Rashid had long had disagreements. While public sector workers received their January salaries, they are still waiting for their December pay. Tawfiq said the lawsuit was only disclosed now due to protests over missed payments in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan's second-largest city and the president's hometown. Kurdistan regional president Nechirvan Barzani recently thanked Al-Sudani for his cooperation on financial issues, including salaries. On Sunday, hundreds of people from Sulaymaniyah attempted to protest in Erbil, but police used tear gas to disperse them, local media reported. Others have staged a sit-in for two weeks in Sulaymaniyah, with 13 teachers resorting to a hunger strike. Last year, Iraq's top court ordered the federal government to cover the public sector salaries in Kurdistan instead of going through the regional administration -– a demand employees in Sulaymaniyah have long called for. But officials say payments have been erratic due to technical issues. Political scientist Ihssan al-Shemmari said the lawsuit underscores deepening tensions between Rashid and Al-Sudani. 'We are facing a significant division within the executive authority, and it is now happening openly,' said Shemmari. In January, Sudani ordered a probe into Rashid's son's company, IQ Internet Services. MP Hanan al-Fatlawi addressed Rashid on X, saying: 'The fines on your son's company IQ… are enough to pay the salaries' in Kurdistan.
