1821347 (Refugee)

The applicant, a national of Sierra Leone, sought a protection visa, claiming he feared harm from members of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) gang. He alleged that he had been a supporter and campaigner for the All Peoples Congress (APC) during the 2018 election and was a well-known sportsman. He contended that the SLPP, having won the election, would target him and his family due to his political affiliations and his role in using sports to procure votes from youths. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviewed the delegate's decision to refuse the visa application.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether the applicant had a well-founded fear of persecution based on his political opinion or membership in a particular social group, specifically as a sportsman used by political parties. Key issues included the credibility of the applicant's claims, the extent of political violence in Sierra Leone following the 2018 election, and whether the applicant's ethnicity (Mende, traditionally supporting the SLPP) undermined his claim of supporting the APC. The Tribunal also considered the applicant's capacity to subsist in Sierra Leone and the general safety of the country.

The Tribunal affirmed the delegate's decision, finding a lack of credibility in the applicant's claims. While acknowledging that the applicant was a sportsman and that political parties might use athletes to garner youth support, the Tribunal was not satisfied that the applicant's involvement with the APC was driven by political conviction rather than a desire to promote his sport. Concerns were raised about the authenticity of supporting documents, including an identity card and a claimed text message, and the applicant's inconsistent timelines regarding the message. The Tribunal noted that while some violence occurred around the election, country information did not support the continuation of such violence to the extent claimed by the applicant, nor did it corroborate specific incidents of harm to his colleagues. The Tribunal also considered that the applicant's Mende ethnicity, traditionally aligned with the SLPP, raised questions about his claimed APC support.

The Tribunal concluded that the applicant had not established a well-founded fear of harm. Consequently, the delegate's decision to refuse the protection visa application was affirmed.