Asylum: Sri Lanka

Home Office written question – answered at on 5 November 2014.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Gareth Thomas Gareth Thomas Shadow Minister (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs), Party Chair, Co-operative Party

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of returning failed asylum seekers to Sri Lanka on the ability of the Office of the UN High Commission for Human Rights to investigate violations of human rights in that country; and if she will make a statement.

Photo of James Brokenshire James Brokenshire Minister of State (Home Office) (Security and Immigration)

The Government does not believe that returning unsuccessful asylum applicants to Sri Lanka impacts on the Office of the UN High Commission for Human Rights ability to investigate human rights abuses in that country. As with any other nationality, all asylum and human rights applications from Sri Lankan nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations and against the background of the latest available country of origin information from a wide range of well-recognised sources. The Office of the UN High Commission for Human Rights is entitled to speak to any returnees as well as other individuals, if they chose to do so. Likewise, a decision to co-operate or not should be the choice of the person concerned. The fact that they may have made an unsuccessful asylum application in the UK – or anywhere else – does not affect this process.

Does this answer the above question?

Yes0 people think so

No0 people think not

Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.