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Urgent Action Request - prevent deportation tomorrow

Action Needed | 06.05.2006 03:30 | Migration | Repression | Social Struggles

To prevent forced deportation of mother & son to Uganda at 6.35 am tomorrow

Maryam Nandawula and her British-born 6 year old son, Jonah, were taken in an immigration "dawn raid" from their home yesterday and are being held at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre pending removal on a KLM flight tomorrow, 6th May 2006.

This would mean deporting Jonah to a country he has never been to in his life and would split him up from his father who has indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Maryam says she is a Jehovah's Witness, and comes from a strict Muslim family. She says that in Uganda she was persecuted by her family for her religion. In 2001 Maryam feared that her life was in serious danger from her family. Since coming to Britain, Maryam says that other members of her family who live in London have maliciously attempted to force her return to Uganda, where she is convinced family members there would have her killed.

Maryam is in a state of extreme anxiety at the prospect of her forced removal, which is aggravating the severe asthma which she suffers from. Jonah is ill and has not eaten for several days.

Maryam says that Jonah has not been given anti-malarials. According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, malaria "currently poses the most significant threat to the health of the population" and "is the main killer of our children". They say malaria accounts for "70,000-110,000 child deaths annually" and "with acute disease a child may die within 24 hours". According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 93% of the total population is at risk from malaria. Other families deported from the UK to Uganda have reported that their children got malaria there.

Please help to stop the deportation of a child to a country he has never been to, which could put him in danger, which will probably split him up from his father for ever, and which potentially exposes him to malaria, against which he has no natural immunity because he has never been outside the UK before.

Maryam is a member of Tyneside Community Action for Refugees (TCAR) who have formed a campaign to stop her removal.

TCAR contact :
Email :  tynesidecarn@yahoo.co.uk
Phone : 07886 520116

How you can help ;
1. Please urgently fax KLM - you can use the attached fax template

KLM Office fax - 00 31 206 488 141
KLM Media Relations fax - 00 3120 648 80 92

2. Please phone the KLM press office and mention Maryam by name and express your concern about her health and the possibility that she may be aggravated by the flight due to stress and her asthmatic condition. Her son Jonah has not eaten in the last 3 days. Please express concern for the welfare and comfort of other passengers and crew.

KLM London Media Relations - 020 7287 2087
KLM Amsterdam Media Relations - 00 31 206 491 780

3. Please forward this email to others and ask they fax and phone KLM.

End of Bulletin:

Source for this message:
Tyneside Community Action for Refugees

Action Needed