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LONDON, Feb 24 (AFP): Britain was wrong to put Bangladesh on a list of countries deemed safe for returning refugees and asylum seekers, a court ruled Thursday in a blow to a government bid to curb asylum and illegal immigration.
"I hold that, whether in July 2003, when it was added to the list, or at any time since then, no rational decision maker could have been satisfied that there was in general in Bangladesh no serious risk of persecution of persons entitled to reside there," a senior high court judge ruled.
Judge Nicholas Wilson continued: "Or that removal of such persons thither would not in general contravene the UK's obligations under the Human Rights Convention."
Then interior minister David Blunkett decided in July 2003 to put Bangladesh on the government's so-called "white list", sparking widespread criticism from rights groups such as Amnesty International.
Justice Wilson, however, offered current Home Secretary Charles Clarke the right to appeal the ruling.
"I am not sure an appeal would necessarily have a reasonable prospect of success, but it is a matter of great public importance," he said.
The issue of asylum seekers and illegal immigration has become a central theme in Britain's upcoming general election, with the governing Labour Party and main opposition Conservatives making pledges to crack down on illegal migrants.
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