The All Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief And Asylum Advocacy Group is calling for evidence on ‘Claiming asylum in the UK if you are persecuted for your faith or belief’.

As persecution on the grounds of religion or belief increases so does the number of people claiming asylum due to such persecution. This Inquiry is a joint project of the APPG for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asylum Advocacy Group (chaired by Bishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Church with diaspora representatives from other countries facing such persecution.)

While freedom of religion or belief is a protected right under international law and a clear basis for asylum, asylum claims on the grounds of religion and belief (including the freedom to hold no religious beliefs) present unique challenges for asylum decision-makers.

In order to be able to document and analyse current asylum decision-making for this group of claims and thereafter assess the UK performance in line with its legal obligations, the APPG on International Freedom of Religion or Belief is currently calling for submissions from charities, experts, faith-communities and individuals with personal experiences on their concerns, and suggestions on:

• how the UK authorities handle asylum cases on the basis of persecution for your faith and belief
• what challenges are faced in practice
• how they can be addressed and improved

We particularly welcome testimonies from individuals who have recently sought asylum in UK on the grounds of persecution for your faith or belief.

Each submission should be no longer than 3 pages, and clearly indicate the organisation and/or author of the statement. The submissions will contribute to a new report written by the APPG on the subject. The APPG can withhold the identities of authors of statements in the report, if a request for anonymity is clearly made in the submission.

Written submissions may result in individuals or organisations being invited to give oral testimonies at a formal hearing before Parliamentarians. The APPG holds the right to use or not to use submissions in its reporting.

Submissions should be sent to asylum@freedomdeclared.org

Deadline for submissions is 5:00pm 31st October 2014