Afghan hijack passengers refused asylum
BBC

Many of the hostages lodged asylum bids

UK Home Secretary Jack Straw has refused 27 claims for asylum from passengers from the hijacked Afghan jet which landed at Stansted Airport near London last month.

Mr Straw said he was not satisfied that the claimants had "a well founded fear of persecution" if they returned to Afghanistan.

He said: "The public interest in deterring future hijacks for the purposes of claiming asylum is a very strong one and, therefore, I have decided that they should not be given permission to stay in this country."

The home secretary has postponed a decision in 14 further cases and granted refugee status in two cases, with the wife of one claimant also allowed to enter the UK along with five children.

He said: "In both cases, as it happens, the applicant's case for asylum arose before they had boarded the flight, and it was a matter of chance for them that it was hijacked."
br clear=all> Mr Straw announced his decision on the 44 applications in a written answer in the House of Commons.

He said that of the cases being considered, two passengers had asked to return to Afghanistan, leaving the 44 passengers claiming asylum under the 1951 Geneva Convention along with 33 dependents.

Decisions on six of the claims have been postponed because they were made by relatives of those charged in relation to the hijacking and Mr Straw was advised that ruling on their claims could prejudice future trials.

Eight further cases have been postponed while further information is sought, including two where Mr Straw is waiting on information from the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.

Legally obliged

The home secretary took personal charge of the cases, and had expressed a wish to see the passengers from the jet leave the UK "as soon as possible".

However, he was legally obliged to consider each case individually, and lawyers for the asylum seekers are expected to appeal against the decisions to refuse entry to the UK.

But the 27 people and their dependants who are being refused asylum will not face enforced removal to Afghanistan because of the current situation in the country.

Mr Straw said: "Instead we are continuing to explore the possibility of removing these individuals to other countries.

"In the meantime they will be offered bail conditions to be set by a Chief immigration Officer involving a recognisance, restrictions on theoir address and conditions for regular reporting to the Immigration Service."

Mr Straw said costs for accommodation would not be met by local councils.

'Very weak'

Tory shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe said: "This is a complete muddle. On the one hand, Jack Straw is saying that he is refusing the claims because they can't establish they are in individual danger and then, in the next breath, he says that they are in danger and he can't send them back.
br clear=all> "He is trying to talk very tough and sound very tough but act very weak."

The 79 passengers, including several families, are being held at Tinsley House immigration detention centre near Gatwick.

They were among more than 150 hostages who landed at Stansted airport after the Ariana jet was diverted while on an internal flight in Afghanistan.

The other 73 passengers returned to Afghanistan.

Fourteen people have been charged with hijacking the plane.

The Boeing 727 plane involved in the hijack is due to return to Kabul on Thursday evening.

The plane has been at Stansted since the drama, but has now been declared airworthy and the return flight has been authorised.