Mick Hartley

The latest on the government’s shameful treatment of interpreters working for the British in Iraq:

Hundreds of Iraqi interpreters employed by the British Armed Forces in Iraq are being rejected after applying to live in Britain for their own safety.

Out of 700 who have now applied through the Ministry of Defence for the special settlement scheme announced by the Government last year, 300 have been rejected already, the MoD said yesterday.

Only 170 have been told they are eligible, and the rest are being processed. Successful applicants will be allowed to bring their closest dependants, including grandparents, if the Home Office accepts them as refugees.

An additional 180 Iraqis have applied through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office because they worked at the British Embassy in Baghdad or at other diplomatic missions. Of these, 38 have been turned down either for the settlement deal or for the alternative financial assistance package, The Times has learnt.

Defence sources said applicants were failing to meet the Government’s strict eligibility conditions under which ex-Iraqi employees are required to prove 12 months of continuous employment with the British forces…

In a sign that prospects may be improving in Iraq, the sources said that 32 locally employed Iraqis who worked for the British had opted to take a cash payment and stay in Iraq rather than move to Britain. However, it is likely the bureaucratic hurdles are another key factor. To be eligible for the scheme, applicants have to go to a third country to present their case.

Interpreters have also faced grave danger in pursuing their claims for asylum. Raed al-Khazraji, an interpreter for the British Army who left his job two years ago after threats to his family, ventured to the British base in Basra on December 23 to put his case for resettlement. Friends say he was seized by militants as he left the base. His body was found the next day.

For some background see here and here and here.