Ukrainians who fled to UK being refused asylum on grounds it is ‘safe to return’
-Law firm says it hears weekly from Ukrainians, including vulnerable women and children, who were turned down

逃到英國(guó)的烏克蘭人被拒絕庇護(hù),理由是“可以安全返回”
——律師事務(wù)所表示,他們每周都會(huì)收到烏克蘭人的來(lái)信,其中包括被拒絕的弱勢(shì)婦女和兒童


(Oleksandr Zbytskyi, his wife, Viktoriia Zbytska, and eight-year-old son Vladimir in Cardiff.)

(亞歷山大·茲比茨基,他的妻子維多利亞·茲比茨基和8歲的兒子弗拉基米爾在卡迪夫。)

新聞:
Ukrainians who fled to the UK after the Russian invasion are being refused asylum by the Home Office on the grounds it is safe to return to Ukraine.

在俄羅斯入侵后逃到英國(guó)的烏克蘭人被英國(guó)內(nèi)政部拒絕提供庇護(hù),理由是返回烏克蘭是安全的。

Families are trying to obtain a route to settlement, which would enable them to build a life in the UK, commit their children to a British education and improve their prospects for jobs and housing. Some feel they have nothing to return to as they are from areas razed by conflict.

這些家庭正試圖找到一條定居的途徑,使他們能夠在英國(guó)建立生活,讓孩子接受英國(guó)教育,并改善他們的就業(yè)和住房前景。有些人覺(jué)得他們從被沖突夷為平地的地區(qū)過(guò)來(lái),沒(méi)有什么可回去的。

One told the Guardian they had been refused asylum on grounds they could relocate elsewhere in Ukraine, despite their home town being a war zone.

其中一人告訴《衛(wèi)報(bào)》,他們被拒絕庇護(hù),理由是他們可以在烏克蘭其他地方定居,盡管他們的家鄉(xiāng)是戰(zhàn)區(qū)。

The firm Sterling Law said it was contacted weekly by Ukrainians, including vulnerable women and children, whose applications had been refused. The firm is working on several appeals, which bring waits of several months during which Ukrainians are left in limbo.

斯特林法律事務(wù)所表示,每周都有烏克蘭人聯(lián)系他們,其中包括弱勢(shì)婦女和兒童,他們的申請(qǐng)被拒絕了。該公司正在處理幾項(xiàng)上訴,這些上訴會(huì)讓烏克蘭人等上幾個(gè)月,在這段時(shí)間里,烏克蘭人一直處于不確定狀態(tài)。

Although Ukrainians are able to remain for 18 months through the temporary visa scheme, the uncertainty about their living arrangements is compounding anxiety and distress.

雖然烏克蘭人可以通過(guò)臨時(shí)簽證計(jì)劃逗留18個(gè)月,但他們生活安排的不確定性加劇了他們的焦慮和痛苦。

Halyna Semchak, an immigration lawyer at Sterling Law, said she was working with a single mother from Nikopol, a town which has been largely destroyed, a visually impaired man and the parent of a child born in the UK.

斯特林律師事務(wù)所的移民律師哈利娜·塞姆查克表示,她正在與一位來(lái)自尼科波爾(一個(gè)已被大面積摧毀的城鎮(zhèn))的單身母親,和一名孩子出生在英國(guó)的視力受損的男子合作。

Their refusal letters typically state that the conflict-related risks do not meet the threshold for persecution under the refugee convention, as they can relocate to safer parts of Ukraine where there are public services, and they can apply for help from the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) and local organisations to avoid destitution.

他們的拒絕信通常表示,與沖突相關(guān)的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)不符合難民公約規(guī)定的迫害門檻,因?yàn)樗麄兛梢园徇w到烏克蘭更安全的地區(qū),那里有公共服務(wù),他們可以申請(qǐng)聯(lián)合國(guó)難民事務(wù)高級(jí)專員辦事處和當(dāng)?shù)亟M織的幫助,以避免貧困。

She said this was a “concerning and growing trend” caused by upxes made in January to the UK Home Office’s guidance, which now deems regions such as Kyiv and western Ukraine to be “generally safe”. She has observed that fewer of the asylum claims she works on have been successful since the upxe.

她表示,這是一個(gè)“令人擔(dān)憂且日益增長(zhǎng)的趨勢(shì)”,原因是英國(guó)內(nèi)政部今年1月更新了指南,現(xiàn)在認(rèn)為基輔和烏克蘭西部等地區(qū)“總體上是安全的”。她注意到,自指南更新以來(lái),她所處理的庇護(hù)申請(qǐng)成功的案例越來(lái)越少。

“This assessment runs counter to the reality of life on the ground in Ukraine. I think any rational person would understand that Ukraine remains in the midst of a violent war, with attacks intensifying in recent months. Our clients would clearly face grave risks including bombardment, conscxtion, family separation and the psychological trauma of war if they were to return to Ukraine today,” she said.

“這種評(píng)估與烏克蘭當(dāng)?shù)氐默F(xiàn)實(shí)生活背道而馳。我認(rèn)為,任何理性的人都會(huì)明白,烏克蘭仍處于一場(chǎng)暴力戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)之中,近幾個(gè)月來(lái)襲擊事件不斷加劇。如果他們今天回到烏克蘭,我們的客戶顯然會(huì)面臨嚴(yán)重的風(fēng)險(xiǎn),包括轟炸、征兵、家庭分離和戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的心理創(chuàng)傷,”她說(shuō)。

“Legally, these decisions are deeply troubling. They overlook the complex realities on the ground and fail to engage meaningfully with individual circumstances, particularly in light of article 3 and 8 of the European convention on human rights [which protect the rights to protection from harm and to liberty].”

“從法律上講,這些決定令人深感不安。他們忽視了當(dāng)?shù)貜?fù)雜的現(xiàn)實(shí)情況,未能有效地處理個(gè)人情況,特別是根據(jù)《歐洲人權(quán)公約》第3條和第8條[保護(hù)免受傷害和自由的權(quán)利]?!?br />
She urged the government to reassess the guidance. “Until that happens, people fleeing war and instability will continue to be let down by a system that purports to protect them,” she said.

她敦促政府重新評(píng)估該指導(dǎo)意見(jiàn)。她說(shuō):“在他們糾正這些做法之前,逃離戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)和不穩(wěn)定的人們將繼續(xù)對(duì)一個(gè)聲稱要保護(hù)他們的制度感到失望?!?br />
Oleksandr Zbytskyi was refused asylum despite being from Odesa in southern Ukraine, a war zone subject to infrastructure blackouts. While the Home Office was considering his application, five people died in a missile attack.

盡管亞歷山大·茲比茨基來(lái)自烏克蘭南部的敖德薩,但他的庇護(hù)申請(qǐng)被拒絕。敖德薩是一個(gè)受基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施停電影響的戰(zhàn)區(qū)。就在內(nèi)政部考慮他的申請(qǐng)時(shí),有五人死于導(dǎo)彈襲擊。

Zbytskyi and his family have been in the UK since August 2022. He wants his son, who was four-years-old when he arrived in the UK and speaks better English than Ukrainian, to continue at school and for his wife to keep receiving treatment for anxiety, depression and panic attacks.

茲比茨基和他的家人自2022年8月以來(lái)一直在英國(guó)。他希望兒子能繼續(xù)上學(xué),希望妻子能繼續(xù)接受治療,治療焦慮、抑郁和恐慌癥。他剛到英國(guó)時(shí)兒子才4歲,英語(yǔ)說(shuō)得比烏克蘭語(yǔ)還好。

Every member of his close family has died, some fighting on the frontline, others because they could not access medical treatment. If he returns, he may be drafted into the military.

他的所有近親都死了,有些人在前線作戰(zhàn),有些人則因?yàn)闊o(wú)法獲得治療而死亡。如果他回來(lái),他可能會(huì)應(yīng)征入伍。

“It was really unexpected to achieve rejection … Who is willing to take their child and bring them back to the country where there is a full-scale war?” Zbytskyi said.

“遭到拒絕真的是出乎意料……誰(shuí)愿意把他們的孩子帶回到一個(gè)全面戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的國(guó)家?” 茲比茨基說(shuō)。

“We are depressed about this because it’s affected all our family. I can’t do anything at the moment because of everything in my head. I can’t even sleep. This is a really terrible situation.

“我們對(duì)此感到很沮喪,因?yàn)檫@影響到我們?nèi)?。我現(xiàn)在什么都做不了,因?yàn)槲夷X子里滿是東西。我甚至無(wú)法入睡。這真是一個(gè)可怕的情況。

“[My son] has already started his mental relocation to UK society. I don’t want to create another stress for him and for my wife. I know that it’s very, very important to live a normal life.”

“(我兒子)已經(jīng)開(kāi)始在精神上重新融入英國(guó)社會(huì)。我不想再給他和我妻子制造壓力。我知道過(guò)正常的生活非常非常重要?!?br />
Kama Petruczenko, a senior policy analyst at the Refugee Council, said he was concerned that the Ukraine guidance “is not currently flexible enough to best reflect the difficulties in quickly assessing regional safety in every single application”.

難民理事會(huì)高級(jí)政策分析師卡瑪·彼得魯岑科表示,他擔(dān)心烏克蘭指導(dǎo)方針“目前不夠靈活,無(wú)法最好地反映出在每一項(xiàng)申請(qǐng)中快速評(píng)估地區(qū)安全的困難”。

The latest Home Office figures suggest that 47 asylum applications have resulted in refugee status and 724 in humanitarian protection since 2023.

英國(guó)內(nèi)政部的最新數(shù)據(jù)顯示,自2023年以來(lái),有47份庇護(hù)申請(qǐng)獲得了難民身份,724份獲得了人道主義保護(hù)。

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Since Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion, we have offered or extended sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and the Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open for those who wish to come to the UK.

英國(guó)內(nèi)政部發(fā)言人表示:“自普京非法入侵以來(lái),我們已經(jīng)為30多萬(wàn)烏克蘭人提供或延長(zhǎng)了庇護(hù),‘烏克蘭之家’計(jì)劃仍然對(duì)那些希望來(lái)英國(guó)的人開(kāi)放。

“All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. No one who is found to be at risk of serious harm will be expected to return to Ukraine.”

“根據(jù)我們的國(guó)際義務(wù),所有庇護(hù)和人權(quán)要求都將根據(jù)其個(gè)別情況進(jìn)行仔細(xì)審議。任何被發(fā)現(xiàn)有嚴(yán)重傷害風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的人都不會(huì)返回烏克蘭?!?