Anti-deportation campaigners protested at Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport, this morning against the deportation of a Brighton family who the Home Office is trying to remove to Algeria.

A family of Algerian asylum seekers were taken from their home in Hove to Yarl’s Wood detention centre at 6.30am on the morning of Wednesday 11th pending deportation. The Home Office have booked a flight at 8.40am Tuesday morning (BA 895) and plan to remove them to Algeria.

Campaigners have travelled to the airport to try to persuade other passengers on the charter flight to complain to the pilot about the deportation in the hope that the deportation will not go ahead.

Assia Souhalia and her husband Athmane have been in the UK since 2002. Their 2 year old daughter Nouha was born in Brighton in 2006 and has lived here all her life. The family has made a life here and has many links in the local community.

Assia Souhalia fled Algeria in fear for her life in 2002 after her family had suffered years of violence. Two of her brothers, Rachid and Brahim, both policemen, were murdered in two separate and premeditated shootings in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Neither brothers were involved in political action. Upon hearing of the death of Assia’s eldest brother Rachid, their mother, Cherifa, suffered a heart attack and died.

Since then Assia’s family have repeatedly received death threats and in 1994 Assia’s brother, Brahim, was murdered. Two of Assia’s remaining brothers and sisters both fled Algiers. In 2002 Assia traveled to the UK with the help of members of her family.

Since Assia arrived in the UK only one man has been arrested in relation to the murders of her family members. In 2007 Assia’s sister was badly wounded in a bomb attack. Assia is afraid for her safety should she be deported to Algeria.

Notes For Editors

160 000 people were killed in Algeria between 1992 and 2002, both by the government and by Islamic groups. Policemen and their families have consistently been the victims of attacks. Amnesty International reports that, in 2008, state torture and enforced disappearances were continuing as well as political killings by Islamists.

The Home Office’s policy of pursuing deportations to Algeria has been highly controversial. In 1997 an Algerian policeman was deported to Algiers from the UK, arrested at the airport and murdered by Algerian security forces. In 2007 the British appeal court halted the deportation of three Algerians after judges ruled that the government could not be certain that they would be safe from torture.