Afghanistan Peace Campaign
Over 2,000 Afghan asylum requests have been rejected in the UK, contributing to a growing hostile environment for refugees, warn rights activists.
In the final quarter of 2024, over 2,000 Afghan asylum applications were rejected in the UK. Human rights activists have warned about the “hostile environment” for Afghan refugees in the country. The UK Home Office, however, has stated that “no one will be sent back to Afghanistan.”
The immigration statistics, released on Thursday, show a sharp decrease in the acceptance rate for Afghan asylum applications, dropping from 98.5% in the last quarter of 2023 to just 36% in the final quarter of 2024. A Home Office document regarding the repatriation of individuals to Afghanistan, obtained by The Guardian, confirmed that “forced or voluntary returns of Afghan asylum seekers are currently halted, with no changes to this policy.”
According to The Guardian, the UK is no longer accepting travel documents issued by the Afghan embassy in London due to the Taliban’s stance. The UK government, in turn, does not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government. While activists have welcomed the reduction in the backlog of asylum cases in recent months, they have questioned the decision to reject applications from individuals who cannot return to their home country.
Despite the challenging circumstances, there is still a significant push from advocacy groups to hold the UK government accountable for its treatment of Afghan refugees.
They continue to call for the establishment of a more compassionate and just asylum process, one that truly considers the dangers faced by people fleeing conflict zones like Afghanistan. As the situation in Afghanistan remains volatile, the need for a thoughtful and humanitarian approach to asylum remains critical.