{"id":79915,"date":"2021-04-23T01:16:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T00:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=79915"},"modified":"2021-04-23T01:16:26","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T00:16:26","slug":"uk-govt-says-ipob-members-deserve-asylum-for-being-persecuted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/uk-govt-says-ipob-members-deserve-asylum-for-being-persecuted\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Govt Says IPOB Members Deserve Asylum For Being Persecuted\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"m#msg-f:1697781705482198043\" class=\"mail-message expanded\">\n<div class=\"mail-message-header spacer\">The British Government has said members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB \u00a0are being considered for special asylum for being persecuted by the Nigerian Government.<\/div>\n<div class=\"mail-message-content collapsible zoom-normal mail-show-images \">\n<div class=\"clear\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<div>\n<p>UK says it has a duty to examine all asylum and human rights claims from Nigerian nationals on their individual merits in accordance with its international obligations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The British High Commission made this known in response to\u00a0 the Federal Government\u2019s allegations that the UK\u2019s asylum offer for persecuted members of IPOB and MASSOB undermined Nigeria\u2019s security.<\/p>\n<p>Recall that the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) had released new guidelines to its decision-makers on how to consider and grant asylum applications by members of \u201cBiafran secessionist\u201d groups.<\/p>\n<p>In the guidelines titled, \u2018Country Policy and Information Note Nigeria: Biafran secessionist groups,\u2019 released in March, the UKVI, a division of the Home Office, directed its decision makers to consider if a person \u201cwho actively and openly supports IPOB is likely to be at risk of arrest and detention, and ill-treatment which is likely to amount to persecution.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>It further said the UK must also consider if the arrest and prosecution of IPOB members for clamouring for the break-up of the country were acts of prosecution, not persecution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose fleeing prosecution or punishment for a criminal offence are not normally refugees. Prosecution may, however, amount to persecution if it involves victimisation in its application by the authorities\u201d, the guidelines stated.<\/p>\n<p>The British High Commission in an apparent rebuff, said the UK had a proud history of providing protection to those who needed it.<\/p>\n<p>The statement read,\u201d The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur country policy and information notes are published on the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/gov.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/gov.uk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1619218090299000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGYMCjOlTPbjrUxYvjoT3-yjfsnbg\">gov.uk<\/a>\u00a0website. They are kept under constant review and updated periodically \u2013 an update to the Biafra separatist note is expected shortly. We publish them since our decisions can be appealed in the immigration courts, which are public, so it is clearer and fairer for all involved (applicants, their lawyers, judges, stakeholders such as the UNHCR) to know what our position and evidence base is.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll asylum and human rights claims from Nigerian nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mail-message-footer spacer collapsible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The British Government has said members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB \u00a0are being considered for&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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