Ruvi Ziegler, associate professor of International Refugee Law at Reading University, discusses the British government’s illegal migration bill moving a step closer to becoming law as it passes through the House of Lords. See his interview on TRTWorld here.
See Ruvi’s discussion on TRT World
Ruvi Ziegler was at the Liberal Democrat Federal Conference where he hosted a well-attended ‘in conversation with Alistair Carmichael MP’, the party’s spokesperson on home affairs, to discuss asylum policy with a focus on the illegal migration bill.
Ruvi also spoke at the debate on an emergency motion calling on the government to scrap this bill, which was adopted unanimously – the speech runs for approximately 3 minutes.
The invite to the interview was prompted by the following quote from Ruvi posted in the Jewish News
‘‘The Israeli government states that it seeks to ‘reform’ Israel’s legal system. In reality, the legal changes it seeks to implement will significantly weaken constitutional review of human rights violations, leaving Israel’s already vulnerable minorities subject to the exercise of untrammelled power by its majority.” He said the changes would also “undermine the independence of the judiciary by altering a long-standing balanced Judicial Appointment Committee, handing over absolute power to the government of the day.” ”Given the severity of the threat to Israel’s democratic character, it is vital to speak out against these dangerous proposals.’’
Listen to Ruvi’s interview on Good Morning Scotland
The segment starts at 1h 45min in.
Dr Ruvi Ziegler joined a demonstration against the judicial ‘reforms’ in Oxford on March 12th.
Ruvi has published a letter in the Times critiquing the government’s treatment of asylum-seekers from Afghanistan in response to the Home Secretary’s column.
Read Ruvi’s letter in The Times online or see the transcript below.
TAKING IN AFGHANS
Sir, The home secretary, implicitly acknowledging the dismal conditions facing Afghans who have come to the UK via the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), urges “landlords and local authorities to come forward with suitable homes” (Priti Patel, comment, Aug 30). This is yet another instance of the government outsourcing its responsibility towards those seeking protection here. Her article celebrates the UK’s “humanitarian approach to those fleeing oppression”. Yet the (legal) reality is that the many Afghans seeking protection in the UK who have not been able to access ACRS must find other means of getting to the UK, including through dangerous Channel crossings. When they do so they are subject to criminalisation under the Nationality and Borders Act. Should the home secretary get her way, they may find themselves on a deportation flight to Rwanda, alongside those fleeing conflict and persecution in Iran, Iraq, Eritrea and Syria.
Dr Ruvi Ziegler
Associate professor in international refugee law
Ruvi Ziegler spoke at a Grassroots for Europe virtual roundtable on asylum after the nationality and borders act alongside Enver Solom, CEO of the refugee council. Read the report of the event here.
Ruvi appeared on CGTN last Thursday (14th April) to discuss the (il)legality of the government’s plans to off-shore asylum-seekers to Rwanda.
Citizenship still matters; its absence denotes precarity. As Covid19 travel restrictions reminded us, at its international core lies the right to enter one’s country and reside therein. Domestically, in most jurisdictions, citizenship serves as an eligibility criterion for electoral participation; excluded non-citizens have limited capacity to advance their rights through the political process.
Read Ruvi Ziegler’s full post on the Oxford Human Rights Hub.
