Asylum seekers who alter their stories may not be lying

Inconsistent accounts of persecution by asylum seekers do not necessarily mean that they are fabricating their histories, and such accounts should not be used as a reason to refuse asylum. Herlihy and colleagues (p 324) show that discrepancies are common, especially when the person has post-traumatic stress disorder and has to wait a long time between interviews. These findings have policy implications for the assessment of asylum seekers.


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Relevant Article

Discrepancies in autobiographical memories--- implications for the assessment of asylum seekers: repeated interviews study
Jane Herlihy, Peter Scragg, and Stuart Turner
BMJ 2002 324: 324-327. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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