The legal action initiated by David Miranda through UK solicitors Bindmans brings into sharp focus an issue that has been troubling me since the Snowden revelations began: how can a lawyer acting against government be sure that privileged communications with his or her client are not being read by that...
After my impromptu Snowden mini series a couple of weeks ago, ECRE got in touch to ask for a “didactic commentary regarding general asylum procedures in the context of Snowden’s situation”. With permission, here is the article below, reproduced from the ECRE Weekly Briefing for 12 July 2013:
...Edward Snowden, the private contractor who exposed the industrial scale intelligence gathering methods of the United States’ National Security Agency and our own GCHQ, is seeking asylum in Russia and a host of other countries. He fears that his ‘freedom and safety’ are under threat. The US government asserts that...
I can keep this fairly short: ‘no’. In his Wikileaks statement Edward Snowden says that the US government “has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person” This is a common misconception. A passport is evidence of nationality, but it does not confer nationality. All states have laws that...
Criminal convictions and other signs of poor character can, unsurprisingly, negatively affect applications for leave to enter or remain in the UK. Mandatory refusals for criminality/bad character The mandatory grounds for refusals are where the immigration rules specify that applications “must” be refused. Paragraph 9.2.1 of Part 9 provides mandatory...
Criminal convictions and other signs of poor character can, unsurprisingly, negatively affect applications for leave to enter or remain in the UK. Those caught out by these rules over the years include former boxer Mike Tyson, Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, Tyler, the Creator and perhaps OJ Simpson. By...
Poor character, conduct or associations Applications must be refused under paragraph 9.3.1 or, if already granted, must be cancelled under paragraph 9.3.2, where it is deemed that the person’s presence in the UK is “not conducive to the public good”. This means reasons that may fall short of the other...
Edward Snowden is coming across as pretty desperate and is reported to have made asylum applications to a host of different countries, all from his reported current location of Russia. The Guardian is keeping tabs on which countries have so far responded and what they have said. It is doubtful...
