Paul and his father both belonged to the Cameroonian opposition party, the SDF. In 1998, during a crackdown, Paul's father was killed by government troops. Paul wrote a letter asking for an explanation, and he was arrested. He was held in the notorious New Bell prison, where he was beaten and tortured. After a year, when he was on the point of death, he was taken to hospital to be resuscitated. Knowing that he would be returned to prison, he seized the first chance he could and escaped from the hospital and left Cameroon in 1999.

He fled first to Mali and spent a year there undergoing many hardships and dangers. Finally, with the help of a priest he left Mali and headed for Europe. He passed through France and arrived in the UK in 2001: to seek protection and safety.

Paul claimed asylum on arrival in the UK. While he was waiting for his case to be decided he was operated on for his worst injuries. But his English was poor, he was too mentally distressed to help himself, and the lawyer who took his case was unqualified, and has since disappeared. His case was rejected in 2002. Terrified to be returned to Cameroon, he went into hiding.

He remained underground, forced to work illegally, for several years. In 2005 he was arrested and detained. In detention he finally found better legal advice. He was released on TA and began a search for evidence for a Fresh Claim. Unfortunately, he was unable to gather such evidence. There is no one left amongst his family and friends in Cameroon to testify for him. His claim was finally refused for lack of evidence/credibility.

Since 2005 he has lived in the UK legally, on Temporary Admission, signing weekly, but without the right to support himself. He has formed a permanent relationship with Anita a EU citizen from Latvia, who has sufficient funds to support him and wants to marry him and they are expecting their first child.

Paul still suffers from the mental and physical effects of his imprisonment and torture in Cameroon, and his stressful life here. He has headaches, depression and blackouts.

A simple and compassionate solution would be for the Home Secretary to afford Paul protection in the UK to such times as he marries his EU partner Anita. She could then exercise her 'right' to freedom of movement, and apply for a residency permit for him.

What you can do to help:
All day today onwards to Thursday
1) Fax Willie Walsh, Chief Executive Officer British Airways and urge him not to carry out the forced removal of Paul Gassa - Attached model fax PaulGassaBA.doc to British Airways (you can copy/amend/write your own version. Please include all the details. Forced Removal of Paul Gassa on British Airways Flight BA302 leaving Heathrow at 06.20am on Thursday 3rd January 2008 to Charles De Gaulle airport France, for onward transit to Douala/Cameroon.

Fax: 020 8759 4314 - from outside the UK + 44 20 8759 4314

2) Send urgent faxes immediately to Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith, Secretary of State for the Home Office asking that Paul Gassa be granted protection in the UK, till such times as he marries his EU partner. Attached model letter PaulGassaJS.doc to Secretary of State you can copy/amend/write your own version (if you do so, please remember to include the HO ref G106975).

Fax: 020 7035 3262 (00 44 20 7035 3262 if you are faxing from outside UK)

Please notify the campaign of any faxes sent to Jacqui Smith or British Airways:

Friends of Paul Gassa
C/o Carole Angier
 carole@cangier.co.uk

End of Bulletin:

Source for this Message:
Friends of Paul Gassa