UK lifts Zimbabwe removal ban

The UK's most senior immigration judge yesterday ruled it was now safe to return people to the majority of the country.

Mr Justice Blake, president of the Upper Tribunal for immigration and asylum, sitting with two other judges, revised formal guidance for sending to Zimbabwe paving the way for removals to start immediately.

Forced removals to Zimbabwe were suspended in September 2006 because of growing concerns over human rights abuses by the Robert Mugabe regime.

But the country is considered safe following the formation of an 'inclusive' government, led by the former opposition leader and now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2009.

Damian Green, the immigration minister, signalled in October that the suspension was to be lifted but the Home Office had to wait for the outcome of the Upper Tribunal ruling before acting.

There are an estimated 10,000 failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers in the UK, of which around 3,000 have exhausted all appeals and challenges.

The court stressed it may still be too dangerous to send people back to some rural villages or other pockets where they may still face a serious risk of persecution.

Matthew Coats, head of immigration at the UK Border Agency, said "We welcome the court's findings. The UK Border Agency will continue to consider all asylum applications from Zimbabwe on their individual merits and with enormous care.

"We prefer people who are here illegally to leave voluntarily and we offer an assistance package to help them reintegrate into their home country. For those who choose not to do so, it becomes necessary to enforce their departure."

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