Press releases
Refugees: UK must stop 'shirking responsibility' and admit more refugees with family
Today’s court judgement allowing four Syrian refugees into the UK reinforced calls upon the British Government to urgently revise its position to allow more refugees to join their family settled here in the UK, said Amnesty International today.
Speaking just after the judgement issued by Mr Justice Bernard McCloskey, Amnesty International UK’s Refugees and Migrants Programme Director Steve Symonds said:
“For the UK Government to fight this case all the way to court is a demoralising reminder of how it continues to shirk its responsibility to provide safe refuge to those already forced to flee to Europe“Britain has voluntarily signed up to an arrangement which means that the asylum claim of people such as these four Syrian refugees – whose siblings are recognised refugees here – are the UK’s responsibility.“It’s time now for the Home Secretary to commit the UK to a Europe-wide collective effort to grant safety to those who cannot find it elsewhere. This must include reuniting far more refugees with their family here.“Until this happens people will continue to be forced to choose between the dangers of war and persecution, and the exploitations of countries neighbouring conflict and the appalling risks of the perilous journey across land and sea to Europe.”