FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
An Albanian man who was caught in a bar has been granted asylum in the UK after telling his life story.
The young man, despite the judge's doubts, managed to win the right to stay on the island.
The Albanian, 22, whose name cannot be mentioned for legal reasons, told the court that he came to Britain at the age of 17 in 2019 to escape a gang who had forced him to work on a cannabis farm to pay off a debt his father owed them.
He claimed the gang was "interested" in him despite his escape, visiting his family's apartment to inquire about his whereabouts in a threatening manner.
"He may have invented the story"
The Albanian's lawyers claimed that his deportation by the Ministry of Interior would put him at risk of being tortured, treated or punished in an inhuman or degrading manner, in violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Refugee Convention.
The Home Office disputed his claims that the gang had taken an interest in him and argued that he could move to another area or seek protection from the Albanian state to avoid risking his life.
But Judge Daniel Sheridan admitted that “it is extremely difficult to assess whether the appellant is telling the truth about the gang regularly visiting his home and family. He may be making this up. However, equally, he may be telling the truth.”
He explained that the law had to be adhered to regarding the threshold of proof needed to determine whether the Albanian's asylum request would be approved.
“I find that there is a real risk that the gang that previously forced the Albanian to work for them will have a continuing interest in [him] if he returns to his area in Albania,” the judge said.
He added that "I find that there is a reasonable degree of likelihood that the Albanian will not receive adequate state protection and will not be able to avoid those he fears by moving to another part of Albania."
Therefore, he ruled that the young Albanian was entitled to protection under the Refugee Convention and that his deportation would breach the UK's obligations under international agreements.
The case, revealed in court documents, is the latest example exposed by The Telegraph where migrants or convicted foreign criminals have won the right to stay in the UK or have their deportations stopped, often citing breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Lini një Përgjigje