A London High Court judge has remitted for further consideration a Home Office decision not to allow six refugee families currently living in the British Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia to be admitted to the UK.
The heads of the families were among 75 individuals from Ethiopia, Iran, Sudan and Syria that ended up on the coast of Cyprus in October 1998 as they were trying to reach Italy on a boat.
In November 2014 the Home Secretary Theresa May refused to grant them entry to the UK and they subsequently launched a High Court challenge on the basis that the UK was breaching its obligations towards people with recognised refugee status, under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Justice Foskett said the decision should be considered further in the light of his judgment and all relevant up-to-date circumstances.
The solicitor acting on behalf of the six families said that the UK Government could now avoid further costly legal proceedings by allowing this small group of recognised refugees to resettle in the UK.
“To do so would not create a dangerous precedent or a back-door to the UK, it would simply be a humanitarian response in recognition of the unique circumstances of these families,” added Tessa Gregory.
Lead claimant Tag Bashir said: “We hope that with today`s judgment we are one step closer to providing our children with a decent future. I was 26 years old when I came to the SBA and for 17 years I have been trying to work and build a life for my family but there is nothing here.”
The arrival of 115 new refugees at the shore of the Akrotiri base last October brought to the fore once again the efforts of the Dhekelia base refugees to gain access to the UK.
UK government needs to reconsider entry ban for Dhekelia refugees, says judge
