Written question asked by Chris Mullin (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 February 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 February 2009. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Friday, 27 February 2009 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Asylum

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Kinshasa and Bas Congo; what guidance he has issued to the UK Border Agency on the safety of unsuccessful asylum seekers removed to the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: We continue to monitor the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) closely. Though there have been recent occasions on which human rights standards have not been upheld in Kinshasa and Bas Congo, we are not aware of any systematic persecution by the DRC authorities there. Our guidance to the UK Border Agency on the return of failed asylum seekers to DRC from the UK sets this out. There continues to be no general reason why failed asylum seekers should not be returned to Kinshasa or Bas Congo, although each application must be treated on its own merits.

Secondary information