The Home Office want to deport Mr Amdani despite the continuing instability in Burundi.

Since coming to Nottingham, Mr Juma has been involved in a range of voluntary integration projects.

He was a member of the Home Office run National Refugee Integration Forum.

Mr Juma is well established in Nottingham, where he made many friends and won the respect of colleagues across the city.

Mr Juma has no immediate family in Burundi.

Mr Juma's appeal will be heard on 28th November.

His friends and supporters are encouraging people who know him to write letters of support and have circulated a petition to present to the court.

Amdani came to the UK in March 2003 from Burundi and was granted Humanitarian Protection by the Home Office. He is a torture survivor, a pro-democracy activist, and has escaped death on more than one occasion because of ethnic conflict. Many of his family & friends have faced torture and been murdered, and many others like him have been forced into exile. Burundi is as unsafe now for him as it was when he left, and Amdani has made a life here in Nottingham. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office itself considers that 'the human rights situation in Burundi remains poor'. However, on making a routine application for indefinite leave to remain in the UK he was refused, and therefore faces deportation. His appeal against this decision is on November 28th 2007.

U.S.A. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Burundi 2006
The government's human rights record remained poor; government security forces continued to commit numerous serious human rights abuses. In November UN officials and local and international human rights groups said the human rights situation had not improved since the Nkurunziza government took office in late 2005. The UN and human rights organizations reported that members of the FDN, the police, and the National Intelligence Service (SNR) were responsible for summary executions, torture, and beatings of civilians and detainees There were reports that security forces raped women and young girls. Impunity and harsh and life-threatening prison and detention center conditions remained problems, and reports of arbitrary arrest and detention increased. Prolonged pretrial detention, lack of judicial independence and efficiency, and rampant judicial corruption continued. Restrictions on freedom of the press increased during the year, and the government continued to restrict freedoms of assembly and association. Security forces' harassment of political opponents remained a problem. Societal violence and discrimination against women, trafficking in persons, and the use of child labor continued.

Since coming to the UK Amdani has contributed greatly to both the city and the country. He was selected to serve the Home Office itself, on the Community and Media sub-group of its social policy body the National Refugee Integration Forum, under John Reid. This post ran from 2005 to march this year, just before his leave to remain was rescinded, making this Home Office decision even more inexplicable.

He has been involved in other national organisations including HIV-awareness campaigns (National African HIV Prevention Program & African HIV Policy Network) & refugee organisations (The National Refugee Integration Forum & Refugee Action).

Locally he has worked in the Nottingham Council Tenants' Forum and advises Nottinghamshire Social Services and other East Midlands bodies on asylum issues. He has been employed as part of the Integration Support Team at the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum since 2005.

During this time he has made many friends, who are shocked and bewildered at the refusal to grant him indefinite leave to remain. The Home Office has offered no evidence that the situation in Burundi is now safe for someone of his political and ethnic background. Not only would his friend's miss him, but also we genuinely fear for his life should he be deported to Burundi.

Amdani's many friends know about the huge contribution he has made to Nottingham. He always gives freely and selflessly of his time, and has helped many people in difficult circumstances. His departure would be a great loss to us and to the wider community of the city, as reflected in a motion in support of Amdani passed by the Notts & Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum at its recent AGM.

This is why the Friends of Amdani Juma has been formed. We are receiving numerous letters of support to present to the judge at the appeal from people willing to appear and give evidence about how much Amdani means to Nottingham. We have also launched a nation-wide petition in his support. We will be holding meetings and other events to publicise his case between now and the appeal, which will take place at Stoke on Trent, and dozens of us will be travelling to the appeal to show our support for him.

From: Friends of Amdani Juma

What you can do to help:
Read the attached covering letter and sign the petition and return to:
Friends of Amdani Juma,
Notts & Nottingham Refugee Forum
The Square Centre,
Alfred St. North
NG3 1AA

For more information please contact
Rob Peutrell 078 4676 5761

Or

Claire Taylor,  Claire.k.taylor@nottingham.ac.uk
07969503016 (no voicemail unfortunately, but a missed call or text will get a call back a.s.a.p.)

End of Bulletin:

Source for this Message:
Notts & Nottingham Refugee Forum