The Home Office has said it will review its policy on the risks facing Afghan interpreters and others collaborating with coalition forces in Afghanistan. The proposed review comes in the wake of a decision to grant asylum to a former interpreter whom the Home Office attempted to deport last year. The interpreter, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was represented by Ali Bandegani of Garden Court Chambers.
The case has been reported by the press, including in The Guardian.
The interpreter worked with coalition forces in Afghanistan for seven years on the front line. He claimed asylum in the UK, relying on evidence from former military personnel and interpreters currently hiding in Afghanistan. On being granted protection in the UK, he said:
“I am so happy about this decision. The work I did for the allied forces was very dangerous. I saw so many dead bodies and what I saw has deeply affected me. My life was at risk all the time and the Taliban would target me if the UK had sent me back to Afghanistan. I hope that my case will help other interpreters who are in the same situation I was in.”
Ali Bandegani is a member of Garden Court Chambers’ Immigration and Asylum Team. He was instructed by Lewis Kett of Duncan Lewis solicitors.
