On the afternoon of Friday the 18th August, Evariste Mutamba went to sign on at the Home Office Reporting Centre in Brand Street Glasgow and was 'captured' following questioning.

His wife Tshama had waited for two hours outside whilst her husband was in the reporting centre. A security guard asked her to go inside where she was informed that Evariste had been detained and would be taken to Dungavel IRC and would be deported to France next Thursday 24th August.

She was told to return home to collect his medication for his epilepsy; when she came back with the medication she asked to pass it on to Evariste but the security guard took it from her and passed it on instead. As she waited to see Evariste the Group 4 Security detention Van drove out the gate passing her and their three children leaving her and her young family screaming.

In January 2004 Evariste and Tshama were arrested and detained in Kinshasa DR Congo. They were both activists for the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), this would be the last time they saw each other for 20 months. Tshama was released from detention in February; she picked up her children and immediately fled DR Congo. She and the children arrived in the UK on the 28th February 2004.

Evariste spent 4 moths in detention, in a small windowless, earthen-floored cell and suffered numerous beatings into unconsciousness. He was 'released', tied and blindfolded and dumped out the boot of a car at the end of his avenue. The beatings left him severely ill for 6 months. He was told that his wife and kids had fled to an unknown country.

On the 10th January 2005, Evariste organised a protest rally in Kinshasa against the postponement of the Presidential Elections, that was subsequently broken up by the police and he was again taken into detention. Of the twenty activists detained, all were released except him. He was released four days later on condition that he passes information about his uncle to the security forces. He immediately went into hiding until he was able to flee the country to France on the 3rd of February 2005. When he arrived in Paris he made an asylum application that was refused and he lodged an appeal that is still extant.

In August 2005, Evariste was told his wife and children had been located in Glasgow, Scotland. He made contact and arranged to join them; he arrived at Prestwick airport on 14th September 2005 for a joyful reunion with his wife and children

Tshama was dispersed to Scotland after claiming asylum on arrival in the UK. She has since settled and attends North Glasgow College. Their daughters, Debora 10 and Vanessa 7 attend Albert Primary School and Eunice 5 is in the Jack and Jill nursery. Evariste is currently training to work as a volunteer in the Citizens' Advice Bureau in Maryhill and is involved with the African community Integration Centre. He has also been attending Epilepsy Scotland meetings, a condition brought on by his repeated beatings.

Evariste is being returned to France, this is unnecessary, his family are all here in the UK, and his claim should be joined to theirs.

The Home Office know well that activists of the UDPS are at *risk if returned to DR Congo and there present policy is not to return any UDPS activists. So it would be 'cruel and inhumane' to separate this family.

How you can help keep the Mutamba family together
1) The Mutamba Family with the help of the Unity Centre Glasgow have set up a campaign to keep the family together. Fax/write to Liam Byrne, Minister for Immigration, using the model letter 'Attached', which you can copy/amend/write your own.

Fax: 020 7035 4745 from outside the UK + 44 20 7035 4745

Or write to:
Liam Byrne, Minister for Immigration
Home Office, 3rd Floor, Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London, SW1P 4DF

Please take time to notify the campaign of any letters/faxes sent:

For further information contact:
Mutamba Family Campaign
C/o The Unity Centre
30 Ibrox Street
Glasgow
G51 1AQ
 theunitycentre@btconnect.com


Messages of solidarity to the family can be sent c/o the Unity Centre

2) Please come along to a Unity demonstration outside the Home Office, Brand St, Glasgow, on Wednesday 23rd August at 12.00pm to support Evariste and his family.


*Expanded guidelines on risk of persecution/inhuman or degrading treatment or torture on return to Democratic Republic of Congo: AB and DM (Risk categories reviewed-Tutsis added) DRC CG [2005] UKIAT 00118 notified new guidelines as to classes of person(s) who should be accepted as facing risks of persecution or of inhuman or degrading treatment or torture if returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo. . . . Š we accept that at the present time it is very dangerous to be an active member of the UDPS. The success of the ville morte action in bringing much of Kinshasa to a standstill in January 2005 has threatened the Kabila leadership