If forced to return to Turkey, Cafer and Hatice Dagon and their family face persecution because they are Kurdish Alevis and have been involved in the struggle for Kurdish national self-determination. Persecution of Kurds in Turkey is well documented. Since 1990 the Turkish state has been accused of the killing of 37,000 Kurds, the destruction of 3,500 Kurdish villages, and of leaving 2 million Kurds without homes.

Aysun has explained to members of Tyneside Community Action for Refugees (TCAR) what will happen if they are forced to return. "If we go back to Turkey then my father and mothers life would be in danger. Before we left the police hit my dad's back with a baseball bat. And now his back is broken. They also hit his ear and now he can't hear properly out of his left ear. After my father came to England, when we were still in Turkey, the police took my mum somewhere and did something to her she won't talk about it. After that she kept crying and she was screaming in her dreams. It was horrible."

Both parents now suffer from mental health problems, which have become worse while in detention and with the fear of imminent removal. Cafer suffers from depression since being tortured in Turkey. He takes paracetamol for the back pain, sleeping tablets and antidepressants. He has self-harmed three times in the last 4 years and now Aysun is worried that he might try again, "now my dad can't live without the depression tablets, he gets angry without them and doesn't know what he is doing. At night my mum can't sleep because my dad screams in his sleep and then wakes up. He used to better at home but since we got a letter and had to come here he is much worse".

Hatice is also dependent on sleeping tablets and anti-depressants and is unable to go out by herself due to fear. She also relies on Tramadol to ease the pain in her leg caused by a car accident in England four years ago. She has got metal plates in her knees and hips and the accident also affected her short-term memory. Hatice is in particular pain now because on 7th March, when they were due to be deported, the family were taken off the plane when the pilot refused to carry them and Hatice was thrown back into the van in a way that caused injury.

Aysun described her own fears about returning to Turkey. "I'm not feeling well because of the things that happened in Turkey and if we go back there then we would be killed and our life would be in danger. I've been studying in the UK for 6 years and I have adapted to England and the way of life here. I want to carry on studying for my GCSEs at All Saints College. If I go back to Turkey then I won't be able to study or work because we'll have to keep changing where we live so the police won't find us. Newcastle is my home, I want to stay here".

US State Department report/Turkey 2006:
The government struggled to achieve full implementation of new laws. The number of arrests and prosecutions of security forces who committed unlawful killings was low compared with the number of incidents, and convictions remained rare. - Security forces occasionally tortured, beat, and otherwise abused persons. - The executive branch at times undermined independence of the judiciary, and the overly close relationship of judges and prosecutors continued to hinder the right to a fair trial. Excessively long trials, lasting several years, were a problem. - The government limited freedom of expression through the use of constitutional restrictions and numerous laws, including articles of the Penal Code prohibiting insults to the government, the state, "Turkish identity," or the institution and symbols of the republic. - Violence against women, including so-called honor killings and rape, continued to be a widespread problem. - Child marriage was a problem. - Police corruption at all levels contributed to trafficking in women and children to and within the country for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
 http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78844.htm

What you can do to help!
1) Fax Liam Byrne, Minister for State for Nationality, Citizenship & Immigration (model letter attached please copy/amend/write your own version) asking that Cafer Dagon and his family are allowed to remain in the UK to live in peace and safety. Please ensure the Home Office reference number D1059184 is included.

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

Liam Byrne
Minister for State for Nationality, Citizenship & Immigration
3rd Floor
Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

2) Fax - British Airways and ask them not to assist in the removal of this vulnerable family.

British Airways - Fax: 020 8759 4314

Please notify: Tyneside Community Action for Refugees of any faxes sent
 tynesidecarn@yahoo.co.uk