UK won’t compensate Afghans

BBC :

Thousands of Afghans whose personal details were leaked but who were not evacuated to Britain are not expected to receive any compensation.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will “robustly defend against any legal action or compensation”, a spokesperson told the BBC, adding that these were “hypothetical claims”.

The MoD will also not proactively give small payouts to people whose lives were put in danger after the February 2022 leak, the Times reported.

The names and details of more than 19,000 people were leaked, with many Afghans now saying they fear retribution from the Taliban.

The spokesperson added that an independent review, known as the Rimmer review, commissioned by the Defence Secretary John Healey found: “It is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted.”

This week, Healey announced the lifting of a super-injunction that made it illegal to both publicise the leak and refer to the existence of the court order.

That came after the completion of the Rimmer review, which concluded: “There is little evidence of intent by the Taliban to conduct a campaign of retribution against former officials.”

The largest lawsuit is being prepared by Barings Law, a firm that has more than 1,000 Afghan clients, according to The Times.