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UK lifts ban on deporting Darfur refugees to Sudan

Human rights groups feared on Monday that Darfur refugees who reached Britain could be sent to Sudan and tortured after London lifted a ban on deporting them to Khartoum.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 20:54 July 7, 2008
  • Gulf News

London: Human rights groups feared on Monday that Darfur refugees who reached Britain could be sent to Sudan and tortured after London lifted a ban on deporting them to Khartoum.

Britain had said in December last year that it would stop deporting failed asylum seekers to Sudan while it investigated a report by the pressure group The Aegis Trust that refugees sent back to Khartoum had been tortured.

But a Border Agency spokeswoman said the review was now complete and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne had written to the Aegis Trust to say its accusations of torture were not proven and deportations to Sudan's capital Khartoum could resume.

"Our asylum decisions are humane and compassionate and crucially oversight by independent judges helps ensure justice is done," the spokeswoman said.

"The House of Lords has recently agreed that people facing persecution in Darfur can relocate to Khartoum."

The Aegis Trust said in a statement that it disagreed with the government's assessment, believed at least two Darfur refugees had been tortured after being sent back from Britain and intended to present new evidence in future cases.

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