Asylum seekers who sheltered Snowden in Hong Kong at risk of being deported, lawyer warns
Lawyer misses deadline to file claim forms for Sri Lankan family after 30 of his cases that had been in limbo are suddenly reactivated by the government
The Sri Lankan asylum seekers who sheltered the American whistle-blower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong might be at risk of detention and deportation as their lawyer was not able to meet a final deadline imposed by the Immigration Department to file documents.
Robert Tibbo, a Canadian barrister who provided legal advice to Snowden when he was in the city in 2013, said 30 of his cases had been reactivated at the same time after at least two years of inactivity, leaving him unable to cope with the workload given his other work commitments.
“I understand I have been particularly targeted. They all know I have 30 cases that have been held in limbo and now this happens,” Tibbo said.
“To me this is a clear-cut strategy by the Hong Kong government to defeat my client cases by avoiding even looking at the merits of them. It is a grossly unfair procedure.”
