Judge errors in asylum ruling for Iraqi seeker

A judge in the UK has allowed an asylum seeker from Iraq to stay in the country, but the decision was based on a mistake. Judge Helena Suffield-Thompson confused Iraq with Iran when evaluating the man's case. The man claimed he feared prosecution for making anti-government comments on social media. He argued that returning to Iraq would put him at risk because of his activities against the Kurdish leadership. Judge Suffield-Thompson ruled based on Iran's laws, which involve monitoring social media. In contrast, Iraq does not have the same level of surveillance, impacting the judge's assessment. This ruling allowed the man to remain in the UK, but it has now been challenged. A new tribunal found that the judge made a legal error by using information about Iran instead of Iraq. The case will be reviewed again. The home secretary's lawyers argued that the ruling was incorrect because it misapplied country guidelines. They pointed out that Iraqi authorities do monitor social media but in a different way than Iran. The case highlights issues around how asylum seekers' risks are assessed based on correct country information.