Born in Harare, Salome was involved in the Zimbabwean Vigil and Civil Societies protesting against Mugabe's regime and was arrested by the police and beaten up. In 2004 she acquired a Malawian passport to flee the country and arrived in the UK on a visitor's passport. In October 2008 she claimed asylum and was refused on the grounds that she was a Malawian national despite overwhelming proof to the contrary - birth certificate, ID cards, school reports.

On the 22nd December an application for a Judicial Review was refused with the additional caveat that no further appeals would bar her removal to Malawi. On the 6th January an attempt to remove her failed through an administrative error and a new date set for 19th January.

The UK Government is not currently enforcing deportations back to Zimbabwe due to the instability, terror and suffering witnessed on our television screens nightly, and yet feel free to send Zimbabweans back to Malawi where they will be either immediately deported back to Zimbabwe or imprisoned for 'passport abuses' and then sent back to Zimbabwe to face possible retribution from the Mugabe regime. The removal of Zimbabweans on passports obtained only to escape persecution is a thinly disguised attempt to ignore new case law on removals of Zimbabweans. 

What you can do to help / Please take urgent action now

1) Fax/phone, Sam Okwulehie, Group Area Manager Kenya Airways and urge him not to carry out the forced removal of Salome Chikuta - you can use the model fax 'SalomeChikuta.doc' attached. You can copy, amend or write your own version - please quote, Salome Chikuta due to be forcibly removed from UK on Monday 19th January at 19.00 hrs on Kenyan Airways Flights KQ101& KQ424 to Malawi (via Nairobi).

Fax: 020 8745 5027 - from outside the UK + 44 20 8745 5027
Phone: 020 8759 7366 - from outside the UK + 44 20 8759 7366

2) Please send urgent faxes immediately to Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith, Secretary of State for the Home Office asking that Salome Chikuta be granted protection in the UK. Please use the attached "model letter" (SalomeChikuta JS.doc) which you can copy/amend/write your own version (if you do so, please remember to include his HO ref: Salome Chikuta).

Email addresses:
 UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
"CIT - Treat Official"  CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk>

Fax Number: 020 8760 3132

Please let the campaign coordinator of an emails/faxes sent:
Aurelie Guinard

End of Bulletin:

Source for this Message:
Aurelie Guinard