Calling all Compassionate People across Merseyside,

Help Urgently Needed

SAVE AKRAM, NATALIA AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN FROM THE consequences of AN IMMORAL DEPORTATION



Akram fled to Britain from Afghanistan in 2000 after his family was killed during the rule of the Taliban, and received ‘limited leave to remain’ (permission to stay) for a year and also permission to work. Despite the tragedy he had suffered he found happiness when he met Natalia and began to rebuild his life. They have now been together for over four years as happy family with two children Roksolyana (13) and Yarolslav (8) (Natalia's blood children from a previous marriage) and are active popular members of the local community.

However, over a year and a half ago Akram’s ‘leave to remain’ expired and his application for asylum was refused. Since then he has not been allowed to work, either paid or voluntary, and has received no benefits whatsoever. He is virtually imprisoned by the immigration rules, unable to contribute to society or support his family. Natalia works to keep them all, but her leave to remain runs out in October and she cannot be sure that her application for ‘Indefinite Leave’ (the right to live here permanently) will succeed.

Akram and Natalia are desperate to stay together but have been told this will only be possible if they move as a family to Afghanistan. They will not be granted the right to remain in the UK together on human rights grounds because they are neither married nor have children together. Natalia cannot marry Akram because she has to wait for five years of separation to lapse before her previous marriage is annulled. She is originally from the Ukraine and has been granted exceptional leave to remain along with her children. Roksolyana and Yarolslav love Akram as a father; it would be unjust and immoral to pull apart this loving family because of a technicality in immigration law.

Afghanistan is not a safe country for anyone to live in, the Foreign Office ‘strongly advise against all but essential travel to Kabul and against all travel to other parts of Afghanistan.’ (www.fco.gov.uk) It would be even more dangerous for Akram and Natalia to live there because they would be living out of wedlock and so in a perceived ‘adulterous’ relationship by many hardliners in the country. Furthermore Natalia and the children are white, obviously foreign, and so may be viewed as terrorist targets. ‘There is reporting to indicate an increased threat of bomb attacks, possibly by suicide bombers, against Western targets in central Kabul and in the vicinity of Kabul airport.’ (www.fco.gov.uk)

Akram and Natalia have one slender hope left. They have an application to remain here under the Family Amnesty scheme, but on the face of it, they don’t seem to come within the rules, so that leaves US.

We should be upset, we should be angry but we should also act. What we can do: -

- Come to the initial planning meeting for the anti-deportation campaign with as many caring people as we can bring on Wednesday 24th August, 7.30pm downstairs at The Casa (The Dockers bar on Hope Street opposite the Philharmonic pub)



- Forward this message to everyone you can, the unions, your work mates, friends, the schools, the churches, activists, campaigners all decent political groups. - Write to your MP, the Home Office, The Queen and everyone else you can think of… (www.writetothem.com)



Please, please, please get involved and help keep this wonderful family together. Feel free to bring along petitions or posters or anything you can at the first meeting no-one’s toes will be trood on...


Contact 07903197778 or  sinisterpenguin@yahoo.com for more questions and even better offers of help