Friends of Therese & Ngalieuk
John O | 07.01.2008 08:46 | Migration | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements
Notewo Therese Laure and her son Ngalieuk Touko Thed Landery are currently detained in Yarl's Wood IRC, facing deportation to Cameroon on Tuesday 8th January at 19:00 on Kenya Airways flight KQ101 from London Heathrow terminal 4 to Nairobi, and onward to Douala Cameroon
A member of ADDEC (Association pour la Defense des Droits des Etudiants du Cameroun) an organization created by students to defend student's rights in Cameroon. Therese was the vice secretary of the group. She was also in charge of organizing campaigns and demonstrations for the groups. ADDC aims to create a powerful force to fight against government abuses on human rights focusing more on students. It was Therese's responsibilities to empower students by talking to them during meeting and rallies, highlighting student's rights.
In April 2005 she attended a demonstration at the Buea University in Cameroon with other similar groups based in the same area. The police, brutalized and held for 2 days in the local police cells, arrested her. The police took her photographs; she was released and asked to sign a document that she will not be attending such demonstrations in the future. On the 28th of April 2005 two students were killed during a demonstration organized by ADDEC at the Buea University. Therese and her friends organized a protest again these killings. They described them as barbaric and called the government to punish those involved.
In May 2005 she came to Buea to organize a meeting, as police was continuously killing and disturbing students in the campus with the government not taking any action. She was arrested as she entered the city of Buea she was put in Buea's prison until the 14th of August 2005, where she left the prison during an incident that resulted to dispute between prison guards and prisoners and subsequently many prisoners evaded or escaped. In prison the prison guards routinely abused Therese. She was beaten and denied access to food and contact with her family. She witnessed the killing of her prison mates by prison guards, which has since traumatized her. She was helped to leave Cameroon as she felt that her life was in danger. Therese arrived in the UK in August 2005 and claimed asylum the next day.
In the UK, she maintained contacts with ADDEC; her correspondence with ADDEC was submitted by her solicitor for a fresh appeal on her case. She is a member of the (CDC) Cameroon Diaspora Coalition, an organization set up to fight against human rights abuses in Cameroon. Therese attended several demonstrations with the CDC in front of the Cameroonian Embassy. Staffs at the Cameroonian Embassy routinely take photographs of demonstrators secretly. As consequence, she appeared in a Cameroonian newspaper called "Le Messager" as result of a demonstration in front of the Cameroonian Embassy.
The Home Office despite compelling evidence to the contrary said to Therese in their letter refusing her asylum.
10. However it is not believed that you are at risk of harm, as a result of your alleged support for student rights for the following reasons.
11. It is noted that no evidence could be found, of the existence of the student group Association for the Difference and the Rights for the Students in Cameroon (ADDEC). Further to this, no evidence could be found that supporting student interests in Cameroon, would bring someone to the adverse interest of the authorities, or that this would cause someone to be subjected to a concerted campaign of persecution.
Members of ADDC are still attacked and killed by the police in Cameroon.
In the light of the current situation facing members of the ADDC in Cameroon, Therese her Ngalieuk who was born here, should be released from detention immediately and her case reconsidered.
What you can do to help!
All day today Monday and all day Tuesday
1.) Fax, Sam Okwulehie, Group Area Manager Kenya Airways and urge him not to carry out the forced removal of Therese & Ngalieuk - Download the model fax 'Therese&NgalieukA.doc'. You can copy, amend or write your own version - please quote Kenya Airways Flight KQ101 London Heathrow to Nairobi on Tuesday 8th January at 19:00hrs.
Fax: 0178 488 8299 - from outside the UK + 44 1784 888 299
2.) Please send urgent faxes immediately to Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith, Secretary of State for the Home Office asking that Therese & Ngalieuk be granted protection in the UK. Please use the attached "model letter" (Therese&NgalieukJS.doc) you can copy/amend/write your own version (if you do so, please remember to include the HO ref: N1112129).
Fax: 020 7035 3262 (00 44 20 7035 3262 if you are faxing from outside UK)
Please notify the Campaign of any faxes sent:
camerounsn@yahoo.co.uk
Friends of Therese & Ngalieuk
Cameroon Support Network (CSN)
C/o NCADC
110 Hamstead Road
Birmingham
B20 2QS
In April 2005 she attended a demonstration at the Buea University in Cameroon with other similar groups based in the same area. The police, brutalized and held for 2 days in the local police cells, arrested her. The police took her photographs; she was released and asked to sign a document that she will not be attending such demonstrations in the future. On the 28th of April 2005 two students were killed during a demonstration organized by ADDEC at the Buea University. Therese and her friends organized a protest again these killings. They described them as barbaric and called the government to punish those involved.
In May 2005 she came to Buea to organize a meeting, as police was continuously killing and disturbing students in the campus with the government not taking any action. She was arrested as she entered the city of Buea she was put in Buea's prison until the 14th of August 2005, where she left the prison during an incident that resulted to dispute between prison guards and prisoners and subsequently many prisoners evaded or escaped. In prison the prison guards routinely abused Therese. She was beaten and denied access to food and contact with her family. She witnessed the killing of her prison mates by prison guards, which has since traumatized her. She was helped to leave Cameroon as she felt that her life was in danger. Therese arrived in the UK in August 2005 and claimed asylum the next day.
In the UK, she maintained contacts with ADDEC; her correspondence with ADDEC was submitted by her solicitor for a fresh appeal on her case. She is a member of the (CDC) Cameroon Diaspora Coalition, an organization set up to fight against human rights abuses in Cameroon. Therese attended several demonstrations with the CDC in front of the Cameroonian Embassy. Staffs at the Cameroonian Embassy routinely take photographs of demonstrators secretly. As consequence, she appeared in a Cameroonian newspaper called "Le Messager" as result of a demonstration in front of the Cameroonian Embassy.
The Home Office despite compelling evidence to the contrary said to Therese in their letter refusing her asylum.
10. However it is not believed that you are at risk of harm, as a result of your alleged support for student rights for the following reasons.
11. It is noted that no evidence could be found, of the existence of the student group Association for the Difference and the Rights for the Students in Cameroon (ADDEC). Further to this, no evidence could be found that supporting student interests in Cameroon, would bring someone to the adverse interest of the authorities, or that this would cause someone to be subjected to a concerted campaign of persecution.
Members of ADDC are still attacked and killed by the police in Cameroon.
In the light of the current situation facing members of the ADDC in Cameroon, Therese her Ngalieuk who was born here, should be released from detention immediately and her case reconsidered.
What you can do to help!
All day today Monday and all day Tuesday
1.) Fax, Sam Okwulehie, Group Area Manager Kenya Airways and urge him not to carry out the forced removal of Therese & Ngalieuk - Download the model fax 'Therese&NgalieukA.doc'. You can copy, amend or write your own version - please quote Kenya Airways Flight KQ101 London Heathrow to Nairobi on Tuesday 8th January at 19:00hrs.
Fax: 0178 488 8299 - from outside the UK + 44 1784 888 299
2.) Please send urgent faxes immediately to Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith, Secretary of State for the Home Office asking that Therese & Ngalieuk be granted protection in the UK. Please use the attached "model letter" (Therese&NgalieukJS.doc) you can copy/amend/write your own version (if you do so, please remember to include the HO ref: N1112129).
Fax: 020 7035 3262 (00 44 20 7035 3262 if you are faxing from outside UK)
Please notify the Campaign of any faxes sent:
camerounsn@yahoo.co.uk Friends of Therese & Ngalieuk
Cameroon Support Network (CSN)
C/o NCADC
110 Hamstead Road
Birmingham
B20 2QS
John O
e-mail:
ncadc@ncadc.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.ncadc.org.uk