LETTER : Political asylum does not permit propaganda campaigns

From Mr Tara Mukherjee

Sir: All fair-minded people would wholeheartedly share your sentiment as expressed in your leading article. If the Secretary of State for Home Affairs is satisfied that there is a safe country to which an asylum applicant can be sent, his application will probably be refused without substantive consideration of his claim to refugee status, as UN rights for refugees do not cover asylum seekers.

The Council of Ministers should ensure:

a) the respect of Article 1a of the 1951 Geneva Convention for the harmonised use of the term "refugee";

b) immigration ministers publish criteria concerning safe countries and there is a control exercised by the European Parliament in the definition of the said criteria;

c) the rights of asylum seekers and refugees while their applications are being processed;

d) the right of appeal by the asylum seekers and the refugees in the event of the application being rejected.

Yours faithfully,

Tara Mukherjee

President

European Union Migrants' Forum

Brentwood, Essex

5 December