An Iraqi migrant has been granted asylum in the UK after convincing a judge he faced "death threats" from the husband of a woman he was sleeping with. The man, identified only as HI and aged in his twenties, said his lover was shot by her husband during a confrontation, prompting him to flee the country amid further "death threats".
Appeal Granted After Initial Rejection
HI arrived in Britain in November 2021, and had his asylum and human rights claims rejected in August 2024 after Home Office officials deemed his account inconsistent and implausible, GB News reports. However, during an asylum hearing on October 20, Judge C R Cole concluded that sending the migrant back to Iraq would put him "at risk of serious harm" from the woman's husband, who was described as a "well-connected and powerful" political figure.
The First-tier Tribunal heard that HI's relationship with the woman began before she was married but continued after she entered into an arranged union. Describing the migrant's account of the confrontation with her husband, Judge Cole said: "He gave significant detail about exactly who was where, what lights were on, how the husband reacted and then how he was able to escape, but unfortunately his partner was shot."
Judge Finds Account Plausible
The judge described it as a "plausible" account of a "surprising and emotion-filled event that was understandably chaotic and frightening". HI initially fled to a friend's house before, upon learning that "death threats" had been made against him, leaving the country.
The migrant travelled to the UK through France but failed to claim asylum there despite "having an opportunity" to do so, Judge Cole said. He added that this decision, while "not objectively reasonable", only undermined HI's credibility "to a limited extent".
Political Persecution Grounds Also Considered
The judge said: "I find that it is reasonably likely that the appellant will be subjected to serious harm on return to Iraq from his partner's husband and family due to the appellant's relationship with her." HI's appeal also succeeded on the separate grounds that he risked facing political persecution for his opposition to authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan.
While the Home Office warned that this may be an attempt to "bolster a weak asylum claim", Judge Cole concluded that the migrant's political beliefs were "genuine" and that he could face "serious harm" by returning home as a result. HI's appeal was officially granted on asylum and human rights grounds on October 24.
The ruling comes after more than 700 people arrived illegally in the UK on one day last month, the highest number within a 24-hour period so far this year. Despite this, the Government said its progress on tackling small boat crossings was "indisputable", with the number of arrivals the lowest recorded over the summer months since 2020. The provisional total for Channel crossings this year is also around 20,935, down 43% on the same period last year.
