New country guidance on Iraq and the Dutch ambtsbericht - Britse jurisprudentie van na de val van IS die ook voor de IND en de advocatuur handig kan zijn.

Both the Dutch government and the English asylum judges addressed the situation of an Iraq in the aftermath of the Islamic State that is called IS in The Netherlands and ISIL in Britain

First have a look at the article published today by a British solicitor.

"On 20 December 2019, the Upper Tribunal issued a new country guidance case on Iraq. This new case, SMO, KSP & IM (Article 15(c); identity documents) Iraq CG [2019] UKUT 400 (IAC), replaces all existing country guidance, including AA (Article 15(c)) Iraq CG [2015] UKUT 544 (IAC); BA (Returns to Baghdad) Iraq CG [2017] UKUT 18 (IAC); and AAH (Iraqi Kurds – internal relocation) Iraq CG [2018] UKUT 212 (IAC).
The Upper Tribunal decided to revisit the previous country guidance following the military defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Accordingly, the intensity of the conflict in most parts of Iraq is no longer, in and of itself, severe enough to warrant a grant of humanitarian protection, with the exception of the small area of Baiji, in Salah al-Din. Similarly, living conditions in Iraq are unlikely to give rise to a breach of Article 3, and therefore, again, do not justify the grant of humanitarian protection on that basis alone.
That said, as always, one must carry out an assessment of individual circumstances, looking in particular at the area the person is proposed to be returned to, and the particular characteristics of that person. Anyone dealing with an Iraqi case should read the judgment in full but relevant matters to take into account will include:

• The extent of ongoing ISIL activity in the area the individual is proposed to be returned to
• Whether the individual has an actual or perceived association with ISIL
• Whether the individual has a personal association with the government or security apparatus
• The individual’s political opinion
• The individual’s membership of a particular national, ethnic or religious group, and whether that group is in the minority in the area of return
• The individual’s sexual and gender identity
• Whether the individual is associated with Western organisations or security forces
• Whether the individual is a woman or a child, and the level of family support they may have
• Whether the individual has any disabilities

Similarly, the feasibility and reasonableness of internal relocation will depend on a number of factors. These include the ethnic and political composition of the area of proposed relocation; the person’s own ethnicity, gender and marital status; the person’s support system and connections in that area; and the area’s sponsorship and residency requirements.
Lastly, it remains crucial to check whether an individual will be able to obtain a Civil Status Identity Documentation (CSID) or an Iraqi National Identity Card (INID). This is because:

 As a general matter, it is necessary for an individual to have one of these two documents in order to live and travel within Iraq without encountering treatment or conditions which are contrary to Article 3 ECHR.

All in all, this guidance makes it harder for Iraqi nationals to be granted humanitarian protection in the UK. That said, legal representatives should be alert to the following:

1. Do the person’s specific circumstances mean that they would be at risk by returning to Iraq?
2. Will the person be able to obtain a CSID or INID?
3. Could the person apply for a different status, for example relying on paragraph 276 ADE of the Immigration Rules and arguing that there would be significant obstacles to their re-integration in Iraq?

I also understand that the solicitors in this case are challenging the decision.
Last but not least, this guidance may not survive very long, depending on the outcome of the escalation of hostilities between the US and Iran which could have repercussions for Iraq."


by Nath Gbikpi

Nath is a solicitor and has worked with Wesley Gryk Solicitors since June 2014. Nath read Development Studies and Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), before obtaining an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies at the University of Oxford and an LLB at the University of London.


The FULL text (yes there is more) is published here: https://www.freemovement.org.uk/iraq-country-guidance-2019/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=iraq-country-guidance-2019&utm_source=Free+Movement&utm_campaign=e69aa37257-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_WEEKLY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_792133aa40-e69aa37257-116334469&mc_cid=e69aa37257&mc_eid=b72b4a153a

It might be handy to compare this with the Dutch Country Report on Iraq (het algemene ambtsbericht inzake Irak van december 2019). Yes that is in Dutch but when you copy the text into Google Translate you will get the gist of it. Here is the link: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/ambtsberichten/2019/12/20/algemeen-ambtsbericht-irak-december-2019
I noticed the Dutch changed their policy regarding asylumrequests from Iraq in November and have not seen any new change since but that might be due to the Christmas holiday period. If I have overlooked that please inform me.


Interessant artikel? Deel het eens met uw netwerk en help mee met het verspreiden van de bekendheid van dit blog. Er staan wellicht nog meer artikelen op dit weblog die u zullen boeien. Kijk gerust eens rond. Zelf graag wat willen plaatsen? Mail dan webmaster@vreemdelingenrecht.com In verband met geldwolven die denken geld te kunnen claimen op krantenartikelen die op een blog als deze worden geplaatst maar na meestal een dag voor de krantenlezers aan leeswaardigheid hebben ingeboet terwijl wij vreemdelingenrecht specialisten ze soms wel nog jaren gebruiken om er een kopie van te maken voor een zaak ga ik over tot het plaatsen van alleen het eerste stukje. Ja ik weet het: de kans dat u doorklikt is geringer dan wanneer het hele artikel hier staat en een kopie van het orgineel maken handig kan zijn voor uw zaak. Wilt u zelf wat overnemen van dit weblog. Dat mag. Zet er alleen even een link bij naar het desbetreffende artikel zodat mensen niet alleen dat wat u knipt en plakt kunnen lezen maar dat ook kunnen doen in de context. Subscribe to Vreemdelingenrecht.com blog by Email


My other weblog (preview) http://www.dutchysbookreviewsandfreebooks.com/2020/01/the-potters-field-chronicles-of-brother.html

You might be familiar with Brother Cadfael because you saw the tv series. Or because you read other novels in the series about a Welsh crusader who became a monk and now tends the herb gardens of an abbey and solves crimes with the local sheriff in his spare time.


In this 17th novel in the series the abbey is granted the field where a potter used to live and work. That potter has renounced the world and left his wife to become a monk. But when the monks start ploughing the field a woman's body is revealed. Who was she and was she murdered?


I have read many novels in this series and most are very good. What I liked in this one was the historical backdrop and also the question why people would turn to religious life. And I never knew that one could escape a marriage by entering a monastery and the other person in the marriage would still regarded married.



You can read all these novels separately but to understand the role of all the secondary returning characters like the ambitious prior and his sidekick but also the person of Cadfael himself you might want to start with book 1.