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Refugee Who Walked Through Channel Tunnel Pleads Guilty but Is Freed Refugee Who Walked Through Channel Tunnel Pleads Guilty but Is Freed
(about 9 hours later)
LONDON — Abdul Rahman Haroun, a Sudanese refugee who braved speeding trains to walk 31 miles through the Channel Tunnel last summer, was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the charge in Britain of “obstructing a railway carriage or engine,” a 19th-century law that carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.LONDON — Abdul Rahman Haroun, a Sudanese refugee who braved speeding trains to walk 31 miles through the Channel Tunnel last summer, was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the charge in Britain of “obstructing a railway carriage or engine,” a 19th-century law that carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
He was sentenced to nine months in prison but was allowed to walk free because of the time he had already spent incarcerated.He was sentenced to nine months in prison but was allowed to walk free because of the time he had already spent incarcerated.
Mr. Haroun was scheduled to stand trial on Wednesday after pleading not guilty to the charge at a preliminary hearing on Aug. 24. His lawyer was not available for comment on why the plea was changed.Mr. Haroun was scheduled to stand trial on Wednesday after pleading not guilty to the charge at a preliminary hearing on Aug. 24. His lawyer was not available for comment on why the plea was changed.
Mr. Haroun’s extraordinary effort to come to Britain made him a potent emblem of the desperation of huge numbers of migrants seeking refuge in Europe, and in January, he was granted asylum after having spent several months in jail. Mr. Haroun’s extraordinary effort to come to Britain made him a potent emblem of the desperation of huge numbers of migrants seeking refuge in Europe, and in January, he was granted asylum after several months in jail.
Colin Yeo, a leading immigration lawyer at Garden Court Chambers in London and the founder of Free Movement, a popular blog that focuses on immigration issues, said the move underlined the conundrum facing asylum-seekers.Colin Yeo, a leading immigration lawyer at Garden Court Chambers in London and the founder of Free Movement, a popular blog that focuses on immigration issues, said the move underlined the conundrum facing asylum-seekers.
Strictly speaking, he said, they often have no lawful way of getting into a country and could still face criminal charges of illegally entering, regardless of whether their asylum claims were successful. Strictly speaking, he said, they often have no lawful way of getting into a country and could still face criminal charges of illegally entering, regardless of whether their asylum claims succeed.
He said that asylum-seekers with legitimate claims should not be unjustly prosecuted, and that criminalizing the flight or journey of refugees seeking asylum breached the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, to which Britain is a signatory.He said that asylum-seekers with legitimate claims should not be unjustly prosecuted, and that criminalizing the flight or journey of refugees seeking asylum breached the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, to which Britain is a signatory.
“Mr. Haroun’s case highlights the problem of the system in that you can get here and be granted asylum, but there is no lawful way of getting here in the first place, so the refugee is treated as a criminal,” he said. “A refugee has to break the law to get here, but once here can become a refugee.”“Mr. Haroun’s case highlights the problem of the system in that you can get here and be granted asylum, but there is no lawful way of getting here in the first place, so the refugee is treated as a criminal,” he said. “A refugee has to break the law to get here, but once here can become a refugee.”
News reports said Mr. Haroun, 40, had told the Home Office that he had fled his home in 2004 after he had faced persecution by the Janjaweed militia.News reports said Mr. Haroun, 40, had told the Home Office that he had fled his home in 2004 after he had faced persecution by the Janjaweed militia.
Although rights groups have championed Mr. Haroun, prosecutors and Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, have countered that he had put his life and the lives of others at risk by undertaking his perilous journey.Although rights groups have championed Mr. Haroun, prosecutors and Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, have countered that he had put his life and the lives of others at risk by undertaking his perilous journey.
Mr. Haroun dodged trains traveling up to 100 miles per hour as he made his way through the tunnel, and prosecutors and the tunnel operator have insisted that it is imperative to send a strong message to anyone who might try to emulate him.Mr. Haroun dodged trains traveling up to 100 miles per hour as he made his way through the tunnel, and prosecutors and the tunnel operator have insisted that it is imperative to send a strong message to anyone who might try to emulate him.
Hundreds of migrants camped out near Calais, France, the entry point for the Channel Tunnel, have sought to come to Britain, often at great risk.Hundreds of migrants camped out near Calais, France, the entry point for the Channel Tunnel, have sought to come to Britain, often at great risk.
In late September, an Eritrean man in his 20s was killed when a freight train ran him over. That came after the electrocution of a young man, believed by the French authorities to be Syrian, who tried to climb on the roof of a train near the entrance of the tunnel.In late September, an Eritrean man in his 20s was killed when a freight train ran him over. That came after the electrocution of a young man, believed by the French authorities to be Syrian, who tried to climb on the roof of a train near the entrance of the tunnel.
Two Iranian men who followed in Mr. Haroun’s footsteps by walking through the Channel Tunnel from Calais in October were arrested in Folkestone, in Kent, and were charged under the same legislation as Mr. Haroun. They plead guilty in April, and each received 14-month prison sentences.Two Iranian men who followed in Mr. Haroun’s footsteps by walking through the Channel Tunnel from Calais in October were arrested in Folkestone, in Kent, and were charged under the same legislation as Mr. Haroun. They plead guilty in April, and each received 14-month prison sentences.