MST v The Secretary of State for the Home Department
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Judge | Upper Tribunal,UPPER TRIBUNAL JUDGE McWILLIAM,Upper Tribunal Judge McWilliam |
| Judgment Date | 20 June 2016 |
| Neutral Citation | [2016] UKUT 443 (IAC) |
| Date | 20 June 2016 |
| Court | Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) |
and
[2016] UKUT 443 IAC
UPPER TRIBUNAL JUDGE H H Storey
UPPER TRIBUNAL JUDGE McWilliam
Upper Tribunal
(Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
THE IMMIGRATION ACTS
MST and Others (national service — risk categories) Eritrea CG
1. Although reconfirming parts of the country guidance given in MA (Draft evaders – illegal departures – risk) Eritrea CG [2007] UKAIT 00059 and MO (illegal exit – risk on return) Eritrea CG [2011] UKUT 00190 (IAC) , this case replaces that with the following:
2. The Eritrean system of military/national service remains indefinite and since 2012 has expanded to include a people's militia programme, which although not part of national service, constitutes military service.
3. The age limits for national service are likely to remain the same as stated in MO , namely 54 for men and 47 for women except that for children the limit is now likely to be 5 save for adolescents in the context of family reunification. For peoples' militia the age limits are likely to be 60 for women and 70 for men.
4. The categories of lawful exit have not significantly changed since MO and are likely to be as follows:
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(i) Men aged over 54
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(ii) Women aged over 47
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(iii) Children aged under five (with some scope for adolescents in family reunification cases
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(iv) People exempt from national service on medical grounds
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(v) People travelling abroad for medical treatment
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(vi) People travelling abroad for studies or for a conference
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(vii) Business and sportsmen
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(viii) Former freedom fighters (Tegadelti) and their family members
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(ix) Authority representatives in leading positions and their family members
5. It continues to be the case (as in MO ) that most Eritreans who have left Eritrea since 1991 have done so illegally. However, since there are viable, albeit still limited, categories of lawful exit especially for those of draft age for national service, the position remains as it was inMO, namely that a person whose asylum claim has not been found credible cannot be assumed to have left illegally. The position also remains nonetheless (as inMO) that if such a person is found to have left Eritrea on or after August/September 2008, it may be that inferences can be drawn from their health history or level of education or their skills profile as to whether legal exit on their part was feasible, provided that such inferences can be drawn in the light of adverse credibility findings. For these purposes a lengthy period performing national service is likely to enhance a person's skill profile.
6. It remains the case (as in MO ) that failed asylum seekers as such are not at risk of persecution or serious harm on return.
7. Notwithstanding that the round-ups (giffas) of suspected evaders/deserters, the “shoot to kill” policy and the targeting of relatives of evaders and deserters are now significantly less likely occurrences, it remains the case, subject to three limited exceptions set out in (iii) below, that if a person of or approaching draft age will be perceived on return as a draft evader or deserter, he or she will face a real risk of persecution, serious harm or ill-treatment contrary to Article 3 or 4 of the ECHR.
(i) A person who is likely to be perceived as a deserter/evader will not be able to avoid exposure to such real risk merely by showing they have paid (or are willing to pay) the diaspora tax and/have signed (or are willing to sign) the letter of regret.
(ii) Even if such a person may avoid punishment in the form of detention and ill-treatment it is likely that he or she will be assigned to perform (further) national service, which, is likely to amount to treatment contrary to Articles 3 and 4 of the ECHR unless he or she falls within one or more of the three limited exceptions set out immediately below in (iii).
(iii) It remains the case (as in MO ) that there are persons likely not to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm notwithstanding that they will be perceived on return as draft evaders and deserters, namely: (1) persons whom the regime's military and political leadership perceives as having given them valuable service (either in Eritrea or abroad); (2) persons who are trusted family members of, or are themselves part of, the regime's military or political leadership. A further possible exception, requiring a more case specific analysis is (3) persons (and their children born afterwards) who fled (what later became the territory of) Eritrea during the War of Independence.
8. Notwithstanding that many Eritreans are effectively reservists having been discharged/released from national service and unlikely to face recall, it remains unlikely that they will have received or be able to receive official confirmation of completion of national service. Thus it remains the case, as in MO that “(iv) The general position adopted in MA , that a person of or approaching draft and not medically unfit who is accepted as having left Eritrea illegally is reasonably likely to be regarded with serious hostility on return, is reconfirmed, subject to limited exceptions…”
9. A person liable to perform service in the people's militia and who is assessed to have left Eritrea illegally, is not likely on return to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm.
10. Accordingly, a person whose asylum claim has not been found credible, but who is able to satisfy a decision-maker (i) that he or she left illegally, and (ii) that he or she is of or approaching draft age, is likely to be perceived on return as a draft evader or deserter from national service and as a result face a real risk of persecution or serious harm.
11. While likely to be a rare case, it is possible that a person who has exited lawfully may on forcible return face having to resume or commence national service. In such a case there is a real risk of persecution or serious harm by virtue of such service constituting forced labour contrary to Article 4(2) and Article 3 of the ECHR.
12. Where it is specified above that there is a real risk of persecution in the context of performance of military/national service, it is highly likely that it will be persecution for a Convention reason based on imputed political opinion.
For the Appellants: Mr S Knafler, QC, Ms A Benfield, Mr T Hussain, instructed by Immigration Advice Service, Fountains Solicitors and Roelens Solicitors
For the Respondent: Mr B Rawat, Mr R Harland, instructed by Government Legal Department
For the Intervener: Ms L Dubinsky and Mr T Pascoe instructed by Baker & McKenzie LLP/UNHCR
| INTRODUCTION | Paragraphs 1 |
| The true meaning of country guidance | 4 |
| The country guidance issues | 10 |
| Existing country guidance | 15 |
| Strasbourg cases on Eritrea | 23 |
| Decisions of national courts and tribunals on Eritrea | 24 |
| The legal issues | 25 |
| The appellants | 26 |
| Procedural matters | 28 |
| A. EVIDENCE AND SOURCES | 30 |
| 1. Background evidence | 31 |
| UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs for Asylum-seekers from Eritrea, 20 April 2011 | 31 |
| Eritrean Ministry of Information publication: “UNHCR | 32 |
| Eligibility Guidelines: Factual Findings or Recycled Reformation”, 17 December 2015 Danish Fact-Finding Mission (DFFM) Reports, 25 November and 16 December 2014 | 35 |
| Landinfo, 23 March 2015 and 16 April 2015 and May 2016 | 45 |
| UN Commission of Inquiry Reports 5 June 2015 and 8 June 2016 | 49 |
| EASO Country of Origin Information Report, Eritrea Country Focus, May 2015 | 57 |
| US State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, chapter on Eritrea, 2014 and 2015 | 59 |
| Amnesty International, Report on AA, 22 September 2015, and the “Just Deserters” Report, December 2015 | 63 |
| Lifos Reports on Eritrea, 23 November and 15 December 2015 | 74 |
| Swiss Visits, January 2016 and March 2016 | 77 |
| Human Rights Watch Reports | 80 |
| UK government materials | 83 |
| The new versions of Home Office CIGs, 4 August 2016 | 102 |
| Academics and journalists | 125 |
| Bisha Mines materials | 142 |
| 2. Expert evidence of Professor Kibreab (PK) in summary form | 147 |
| B. ASSESSMENT: THE GENERAL ISSUES | 148 |
| 1. Law | |
| The relevance of existing country guidance | 148 |
| The status of UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines and position papers | 155 |
| The status of experts in country guidance cases | 159 |
| 2. Methodology and Sources | |
| General Observations | 161 |
| Anonymity of sources | 163 |
| Fact-finding mission reports: general | 165 |
| Fact-Finding Missions and the Eritrean context | 168 |
| The Danish Fact Finding Mission (DFFM) Report | 172 |
| The UK Fact Finding Mission (UKFFM) materials | 192 |
| The two Amnesty International Reports (AI Report on AA and “Just Deserters”), the two UNCOI Reports of 2015 and 2016 and the witness statement from Elizabeth Chyrum | 202 |
| The UNCOI Reports 2015 and 2016 | 209 |
| Witness statement of Elizabeth Chyrum | 224 |
| The Home Office Country Information and Guidance (CIG) publications on 4 August 2016 | 225 |
| C. ASSESSMENT OF THE EVIDENCE OF PROFESSOR KIBREAB | 228 |
| D. FINDINGS ON MAIN GENERAL ISSUES | 241 |
| The general situation | 242 |
| National Service | 247 |
| People's Militia | 260 |
| Submissions | 265 |
| Our assessment | 280 |
| Enforcement and Punishment | 280 |
| Conditions | 284 |
| Eligibility and duration | 287 |
| Exemptions | 291 |
| Demobilisations/ discharges and release | 297 |
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