Judge is guilty

The article by an ‘asylum judge’ on August 21 was inaccurate, misleading and offensive. It is unacceptable for a judge to publicly call into question the country’s immigration and judicial system. And describing individuals without permission to be in the UK as ‘illegals’ is offensive and dehumanising.

The judge described the family life provision of the European Convention on Human Rights as ‘the last resort of the rascal’. This is offensive to our law and to any person who has ever had to rely on it. Article 8 is an important, and precious, protection from states that unnecessarily interfere in citizens’ lives. When Parliament has guaranteed individuals their Article 8 rights, people should not be vilified for relying on it.

Other points in the article, such as judges carrying out their own investigations and disbelieving individuals on that basis, give the reader a skewed impression of our legal system. The article also claimed the EU ordered the UK to give asylum seekers more time before being interviewed. But it is incorrect to blame the EU for causing delays in the UK system.

The tone, language and content of this article are unacceptable. It is worrying that someone with such offensive views has been entrusted with deciding sensitive asylum and human rights cases and dealing, fairly and humanely, with people at their most vulnerable.

Shoaib M. Khan, London