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Deportation of refugees resumes; UNHCR says ‘stop’
View(s):The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged the Government to stop deportations and provide protection to refugees and asylum-seekers residing in the country. The UNHCR headquarters said it was “gravely concerned about the resumption of arrests, detention and deportation of asylum-seekers and refugees in Sri Lanka”.
The UNHCR sad that it had not yet been given access to the detained asylum-seekers to assess their asylum claims.
“Many of the individuals who are being deported have applied for asylum and the UNHCR has not completed reviewing their cases,” said Golam Abbas, the UNHCR Representative in Sri Lanka. “In such an event their rights should be respected as they are seeking asylum in the country. Then the principle of ‘non-refoulement’ applies”. Non-refoulement is a principle of international law which forbids the rendering of a true victim of persecution to his or her persecutor.
Immigration authorities were not available for comment. The UNHCR also appealed to the Government to refrain from any further arrests and deportations of people and to uphold its responsibilities under international law. According to UNHCR, between September 3 and 11, some 62 Pakistani and three Afghan asylum-seekers were arrested and detained.
Some 40 have already been deported from the country. Another 102 asylum seekers — 64 Afghans and 38 Pakistanis — are in detention.
The UNHCR said it was still hoping for a workable solution to the issue despite the Government’s actions. Since early June, the authorities have arrested and detained 328 refugees and asylum-seekers, and deported 183 of them to Pakistan and Afghanistan. There were more than 1,600 asylum seekers mainly of Pakistan and Afghan origin living in the country before the arrests started in June.
“We are in touch with the Government. We expect to be called for a meeting with relevant authorities soon,” Mr. Abbas said.
However, the last meeting between the two parties took place before September 3, after which the authorities have started the third round of arrests and deportation of asylum seekers.
According to the UNHCR statement, the Government during meetings earlier this month has given assurances for the immediate release of all asylum seekers and refugees who were arrested and held in custody since June.
Keeping this promise, the Government released 71 Pakistani and two Iranian refugees and asylum-seekers earlier this month.
However, the UNHCR claimed that not all the detainees were released and a new round of arrests began immediately afterwards.