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England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions >> Hamid & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2005] EWCA Civ 1219 (25 October 2005) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2005/1219.html Cite as: [2005] EWCA Civ 1219 |
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COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)
ON REFERENCE FROM THE ADMINISTRATIVE COURT
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION (ELIAS J) CO/3488/2005
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL |
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B e f o r e :
LORD JUSTICE MAURICE KAY
and
SIR CHRISTOPHER STAUGHTON
____________________
HAMID GAAFAR MOHAMMED |
Appellants |
|
- and - |
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SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT |
Respondent |
____________________
(2) Manjit Gill QC and Basharat Ali (instructed by Noden & Co Solicitors) for Gaafar
(3) Manjit Gill QC and Chris Jacobs (instructed by White Ryland Solicitors) for Mohammed
Mr Jonathan Swift (instructed by the Treasury Solicitor) for the Respondent
Hearing date: 26 July 2005
____________________
Crown Copyright ©
Lord Justice Maurice Kay : This is the judgment of the court.
"(1)On an application under section 103A in respect of an appeal the appropriate court, if it thinks the appeal raises a question of law of such importance that it should be decided by the appropriate appellate court, may refer the appeal to that court."
In England and Wales, "the appropriate court" is the Administrative Court and "the appropriate appellate court" is the Court of Appeal.
"1. I see no basis for challenging the findings of fact of the adjudicator [or immigration judge]. Equally he was entitled to conclude that it would not be unsafe or unduly harsh for the applicant to live in Khartoum. However the adjudicator [or immigration judge] concluded that the applicant faced a risk of persecution in his home area in Darfur. The evidence suggests that the State is either involved in or complicit in that persecution. The issue therefore arises whether a relocated person in those circumstances can be required to rely upon the protection from the State that is party to the persecution.
2. I have seen a starred determination of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, A E (Sudan) UKAIT (2005) 00101. The President, Mr Justice Hodge, concluded that relocation is an option for those fleeing Darfur. It is a carefully reasoned decision but in my view there is a respectable argument to the contrary and it is desirable that the matter is considered by the Court of Appeal."
"(a) to affirm the Tribunal's decision;
(b) to make any decision which the Tribunal could have made;
(c) to remit the case to the Tribunal;
…
(g) to restore the application under section 103A to the Administrative Court."
Hamid
Mohammed
Gaafar
The Important Question of Law: Internal Relocation and State Persecution
"The evidence suggests that the State is either involved in or complicit in … persecution. The issue therefore arises whether a relocated person in those circumstances can be required to rely upon the protection from the State that is party to the persecution."
"owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, [he] is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country … "
Although the Convention contains no express requirement that a victim of persecution should relocate internally before seeking international protection, it has been accepted for many years that reasonable internal relocation is to be expected. In the UNHCR Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status (1979) it was stated (at paragraph 91):
"The fear of being persecuted need not always extend to the whole territory of the refugee's country of nationality. Thus, in ethnic clashes or in cases of grave disturbances involving civil war conditions, persecution of a specific ethnic or national group may occur in only one part of the country. In such situations a person will not be excluded from refugee status merely because he could have sought refuge in another part of the same country, if under all the circumstances it would not have been reasonable to expect him to do so. "
"Would it be unduly harsh to expect this person … to move to another less hostile part of the country?"
"Although this is not the language of 'inability', with its connotation of impossibility, it is still a very rigorous test. It is not sufficient for the applicant to show that it would be unpleasant for him to live there, or indeed harsh to expect him to live there. He must show that it would be unduly harsh."
"The 'unduly harsh' test has, however, been extended in practice to have regard to factors which are not relevant to refugee status, but which are very relevant to whether exceptional leave to remain should be granted having regard to human rights or other humanitarian considerations. The problem with this is that humanitarian considerations cannot readily be applied as a test of law as to whether an individual is entitled to refugee status."
"It seems to us important that the consideration of immigration applications and appeals should distinguish clearly between: (1) the right to refugee status under the Refugee Convention; (2) the right to remain by reason of rights under the Human Rights Convention; and (3) considerations which may be relevant to the grant of leave to remain for humanitarian reasons. So far as the first is concerned, we consider that consideration of the reasonableness of internal relocation should focus on the consequences to the asylum seeker of settling in the place of relocation instead of his previous home. The comparison between the asylum seeker's situation in this country and what it will be in the place of relocation is not relevant for this purpose, though it may be very relevant when considering the impact of the Human Rights Convention or the requirements of humanity."
"(b) is the agent of persecution the State? National authorities are presumed to act throughout the country. If they are the feared persecutors, there is a presumption in principle that internal flight or relocation alternative is not available." (paragraph 7)
"The need for an analysis of internal relocation arises only where the fear of being persecuted is limited to a specific part of the country, outside of which the feared harm cannot materialise. In practical terms, this normally excludes cases where the feared persecution emanates from or is condoned or tolerated by State agents, including the official party in one party States, as these are presumed to exercise authority in all parts of the country. Under such circumstances the person is threatened with persecution countrywide unless exceptionally it is clearly established that the risk of persecution stems from an authority of the State whose power is clearly limited to a specific geographical area or where the State itself only has control over certain parts of the country … Where the risk of being persecuted emanates from local or regional bodies, organs or administrations within a State, it will rarely be necessary to consider potential relocation, as it can generally be presumed that such local or regional bodies derive their authority from the State. The possibility of relocating internally may be relevant only if there is clear evidence that the persecuting authority has no reach outside its own region and that there are particular circumstances to explain the national government's failure to counteract the localised harm."
" 'Internal protection alternative' analysis shall be directed to the identification of asylum seekers who do not require international protection against the risk of persecution in their own country because they can presently access meaningful protection in a part of their country. So conceived, internal protection analysis can be carried out in full conformity with the requirements of the Refugee Convention."
"There should therefore be a strong presumption against finding an 'internal protection alternative' where the agent or author of the original risk of persecution is, or is sponsored by, the national government."
"1.As part of the assessment of the application for international protection, member states may determine that an applicant is not in need of international protection if in a part of the country of origin there is no well-founded fear of being persecuted or no real risk of suffering serious harm and the applicant can reasonably be expected to stay in that part of the country.
2. In examining whether a part of the country of origin is in accordance with paragraph 1, member states shall at the time of taking the decision on the application have regard to the general circumstances prevailing in that part of the country and to the personal circumstances of the applicant.
3. Paragraph 1 may apply notwithstanding technical obstacles to return to the country of origin."
"In determining whether it would not be reasonable to expect the claimant to relocate internally, a decision-maker will have to consider all the circumstances of the case, against the backcloth that the issue is whether the claimant is entitled to the status of refugee. Various tests have been suggested. For example, (a) if as a practical matter (whether for financial logistical or other good reason) the 'safe' part of the country is not reasonably accessible; (b) if the claimant is required to encounter great physical danger in travelling there or staying there; (c) if he or she is required to undergo undue hardship in travelling there or staying there; (d) if the quality of the internal protection fails to meet basic norms of civil, political and socio-economic human rights."
"We have set out, ante, pages 939h – 940b, appropriate factors to be taken into account in deciding what is reasonable in this context."
"factors which are not relevant to refugee status, but which are very relevant to whether exceptional leave to remain should be granted having regard to human rights or other humanitarian considerations." (at paragraph 64)
"humanitarian conditions cannot readily be applied as a test of law as to whether an individual is entitled to refugee status." (at paragraph 65)
Fact-Sensitive Matters relating to the Individual Appellants
Hamid
"The Tribunal concluded that although he may be questioned at the airport, however the objective evidence did not lead them to a conclusion that he would be at risk of treatment contrary to Article 3 as a result of the questioning. The appellant in that case, as in this case, had no history of political involvement, and was not a student. In that case the IAT concluded there was no reason to think, given the numbers of displaced persons in Khartoum, and their diverse ethnicity, that the appellant would be identified by the local security forces and treated with suspicion and prejudice. The IAT therefore reached the conclusion that there was no real likelihood of a risk of persecution or of treatment contrary to Article 3 were he to be returned. In the light of this IAT decision, and for the same reasons, I also reached the same conclusion in respect of this appellant."
Mohammed
Gaafar
Conclusion