Paper short abstract:

This paper explains the role of Country of Origin Information in refugee status decision-making by the UK Border Agency and British asylum courts. It then describes three fact-finding visits to Sri Lanka, and reflects on how such evidence from 'country experts' is evaluated by Immigration Judges.

Paper long abstract:

Country of Origin Information (COI) is crucial to most legal findings regarding the plausibility and credibility of asylum seekers' narratives of persecution. COI comes from various sources: Country Reports from governments, multinational agencies and NGOs; printed and electronic media; and evidence from 'country experts' such as anthropologists. This paper analyses the evolving role of COI in asylum decisions in British asylum courts. Drawing on interviews, observation, and the author's own role as a 'country expert', it describes how COI is produced by the Home Office's Country of Origin Information Service, and how it is used in the refugee status determination process by key actors such as UKBA case owners, asylum lawyers and Immigration Judges. The paper then describes three fact-finding visits to Sri Lanka, to gather up-to-date information on the human rights situation. It explains how these field visits helped shed light on important issues arising in Sri Lankan asylum claims, but also reflects on how such evidence is received and evaluated by judges. It also explains the problems posed for anthropological expert witnesses by recent judicial attempts, in the form of 'Country Guidance' cases, to adopt standardised views on such factual matters as the treatment of apostates in Iran, or the risk faced by LTTE suspects returned to Colombo.

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