Zahra Byansi and her two children are due to be deported to Uganda tomorrow, with a 7pm flight. I received an update of suggested action, and while I was initially disbelieving in the claims what is likely to happen upon her return (via Ethiopia strangely), and was reluctant to use this information in any final fax-writing, a little bit of research has shown that the claims are more than realistic and it's all the more pressing that Zahra and her kids should not be returned because Uganda very simply is not safe, contrary to Home Office beliefs.

The situation very much mirrors what I was presented with as a legal typist years ago, when working for a solicitor who dealt with asylum applications in Germany from French speaking Africans, mainly from the Cote D'Ivoire. Anyone returned as a failed asylum seeker was marked on the passenger list and upon arrival "disappeared". Independent agencies and NGOs confirmed this, yet the German government continued the returns, disbelieving the evidence and claiming it was safe to return to the Cote d'Ivoire.

Failed asylum seekers returned to Uganda, whether direct or via Ethiopia, are subject to severe human rights abuses - of course this does not mean it happens to everyone, but it does happen. This includes rape, separating children from their parents and sending them to orphanages (to be adopted by Madonna?), torture, sex slavery, "disappearances" and much more:

"As described by the experts, the pattern is very simple. A failed asylum seeker, with a deportation certificate, arrives at Entebbe airport and is handed over to one of the security organisations. If suspected of political dissident activities, the person is taken to a safehouse for questioning. Rape, for young women, is inevitable. Children over the age of three[...] are taken from their mother and put in an orphanage. Detention can last weeks, or months; a number of people have "disappeared" from custody."

This is taken from a Guardian article from August 2006.

So, the action that is suggested is to present this by fax to the Home Office as well as to the airline that Zahra is booked on, as soon as possible, clearly, as her flight is tomorrow. She is due to depart on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET0701 at 19:00 hrs to Addis Ababa and from there to Entebbe:

1. Ethiopian Airlines offices at Heathrow airport asking for the airline not to allow her on board the plane.

Ethiopian Airlines

Room 238

Terminal 3

Heathrow

Fax 0208 747 9339

 

2. Liam Byrne, Minister of Immigration's office asking for Zahra’s case to be reconsidered and the removal notice lifted. Please make sure to quote Zahra’s Home Office number; B1127212