Around the Campaigns Friday 26th September 2008
John O | 26.09.2008 11:45 | Migration | Repression | Social Struggles
"Annociate is back home in Sheffield! She was released from Colnbrook IRC yesterday. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the people that have made this campaign a success. The immediate threat of deportation is now over - however, there are more battles to fight, as now we need to ensure that Annociate gets her id card so she can get married and she gets Leave to Remain." Yours Jubilantly! Graham Wroe http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszin98/Annociate.html
Asylum seekers the Nukajem family are waiting in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre to find out if they are to be sent to Cameroon, tomorrow. Read their story as it unfolded over the last few days. (Please see end of bulletin for appeal for the family).
Katy Taylor, The New Statesman, Published 25 September 2008
http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2008/09/cameroon-family-detention
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21 Unions back Refugee Council work campaign for people seeking asylum
The Refugee Council's campaign with the TUC to allow people seeking asylum to work scored a great success at the TUC Congress 2008 held in Brighton, when a motion supporting the campaign was passed - and separately leaders of 21 Trades Unions representing over 5 million workers pledged their support.
You can get all the news from the TUC on our website:
http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/news/news/2008/September/TUC2008.htm
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Anthony Browne: Why we should grant illegal immigrants an amnesty
Like many attractive places to live, Britain has a problem with illegal immigration. But while there has been endless debate about how to reduce the flow of illegal immigration, there has been very little discussion of the far more politically and morally fraught issue of how to respond to illegal immigrants already living here.
The Independent, Friday, 26 September 2008
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/anthony-browne-why-we-should-grant-illegal-immigrants-an-amnesty-942761.html
[Anthony Browne is director for Health, Environment, Politics of the Policy Exchange think-tank ]
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Congo-Kinshasa: Humanitarian Crisis Deepens As Peace Process Falters
- Renewed combat in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has caused a drastic deterioration in the humanitarian situation and immense suffering for civilians, the Congo Advocacy Coalition, a group of 83 aid agencies and human rights groups, said today. The coalition called for urgent action to improve protection of civilians and an immediate increase in assistance to vulnerable populations.
Since August 28, 2008, fighting has resumed between the Congolese army and the forces of a renegade general, Laurent Nkunda's National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), as well as other armed groups, breaking a fragile ceasefire that had been in place since the Goma peace agreement was signed on January 23. An estimated 100,000 civilians were forced to flee in the most recent violence, including many who had been displaced by earlier waves of fighting. According to witnesses, some civilians were trapped in combat zones and were killed, wounded, raped or illegally detained by soldiers of the Congolese army and combatants of other armed groups.
Human Rights Watch, Goma, 25 September 2008
http://www.monuc.org/news.aspx?newsID=18225
End of Bulletin:
Source for this Message:
Friends of Annociate Nimpagaritse
Refugee Council
The Independent
MONUC
Nukajem family
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Appeal for Nukajem family
"It's better for me to die here than be taken back to Cameroon" Fred Nukagem
A Cameroonian man who was tortured and his wife raped in their home country are facing deportation on Saturday with their three young daughters, three-year-old twins Grace and Josepha and Grace, five months. The family is being held at Yarl's Wood detention centre.
Fred Nukagem, 37, came to Britain in 2003. He worked in Cameroon as an government informer infiltrating anti-government groups and reporting back about their activities. When he married Sandra, he realised he could not continue as his wife was a SCNC (opposition group) member and her uncle was treasurer. After Sandra's uncle was murdered (he was tortured and died of his injuries) Fred tried to resign from his job. His boss and other workers slammed his hand in a car door and arrested him. He was thrown into prison and held for three weeks. Fred was told: 'You work here, or you die."
Fred speaks French, English and Dutch and is also fluent in around 20 Cameroonian dialects, so he was extremely useful to the government.
His bosses also realised who he was married to and that he was no longer giving them much information on SCNC activities. His friends advised him to flee. He first went to Holland to study a business course, then came to Britain for further study and to claim asylum.
The Home Office was processing his claim and gave him permission to work during this time. Fred's wife Sandra, 29, fled to Britain but was too scared to contact her husband at first. She too had been imprisoned. She was raped and was now heavily pregnant.
Sandra gave birth to twins in 2005 and Fred has become their father. Sandra's claim was refused in April 2007 and Fred's in December of the same year.
Fred says: "I will be killed if I return. It would be better for me to die in England rather than go back to Cameroon. Let them put me in prison here, I'm prepared to go to prison. If I knew the people who were after me were gone, I'd go back, but until then, I have to stay. My wife will also be killed. And they will kill my children too."
Please call BA on 0844 493 0 787 or 020 8759 4314 to demand that they refuse to carry the Nukagem family on flight BA 302 to Doula, Cameroon at 6.15am Saturday morning
Fred HO reference: N1101476 Port reference: SCA1693696
Sandra Yanga Mbelle HO reference: M1330415 Port reference: SCA1693696
Fred's mobile is 07738 920291 and Yarls Wood is 01234 821000
Their story appeared in the Stoke Sentinel today www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk
Deport us and we'll be killed'
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/DEPORT-LL-KILLED/article-352438-detail/article.html
Thanks for your support,
Joanna 07825 176873
anotheraddress4jo@yahoo.co.uk
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John O
e-mail:
JohnO@ncadc.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.ncadc.org.uk