The Law Society comments on the Afghanistan crisis
updated on 26 August 2021
“Clarification is needed now on UK entry clearance for people at risk under the new Taliban rule in Afghanistan,” says the Law Society.
The Law Society has drawn attention to a growing number of Afghans at risk and urgently in need of viable UK visas and access to the asylum process.
The Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce expressed concern for those “who have no viable or safe way to apply for or exercise potential rights to travel to the UK.”
She said: “Anyone who wants to apply for entry to the UK from Afghanistan has to get to Pakistan or India to provide biometrics before their application will be considered. This creates a near impenetrable barrier to seeking sanctuary and urgently needs to be rethought.”
The Law Society has urged the Home Office to “introduce flexibility” by waiving the need for people to make “multiple and dangerous journeys” and demands this change be made swiftly.
The Law Society previously released a press release regarding the legal professionals in Afghanistan – “270 women judges and 170 women lawyers” – and has called on the UK government to offer its “utmost respect and support.”
The surge of violence across Afghanistan in the coming months has given the Law Society cause for concern; in January, the Guardian reported the deaths of two female judges working for the Afghan Supreme Court.
