Lydia Besong, still here, campaign still fighting
An injunction was obtained on Friday, staying the removal until such time as new evidence is heard. Immigration at Yarl's Wood have told Lydia she will remain in detention as they are or the opinion that if they gave her liberty she would abscond, plus, removal may be imminent. Thanks to all who Emailed/faxed/phoned.

For more information please contact RAPAR press officer Kath Grant on 07812 471047 OR 0161 225 2260 OR Rapar's office on 0161 834 8221.
Email      kath.northernstories@googlemail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Freedom from immigration control is the only way to put a stop to the impossible hurdles placed in front of desperate parents seeking freedom to move to a better place with their children'

Open borders are the answer for migrant families

Immigration authorities are the real danger to the children of foreign nationals, says Anna Morvern

BBC News reports this morning (Sun 20 Dec, 2009) that an 18-month-old toddler, Audrey Nyanor, has been taken from a police station in Britain. It is reported that 'A woman went to Walworth police station saying she was a friend of Audrey's mother and was there to collect her, but it later transpired she was not.' This story may not be, as it first seems, a tragic tale of a malevolent kidnapper, but may be the story of adults desperate to keep a child safe from state harm being perpetrated in the name of immigration control.
Full article: Fourth Magazine, Sunday 20th December 2009
 http://tinyurl.com/OpenBorders
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Top ten' humanitarian crises of 2009

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
 http://tinyurl.com/TopTenCrises

Civilians attacked, bombed, and cut off from aid in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), along with stagnant funding for treating HIV/AIDS and ongoing neglect of other diseases, were among the worst emergencies in 2009, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported today in its annual list of the "Top Ten" humanitarian crises.

Continuing crises in north and south Sudan, along with the failure of the international community to finally combat childhood malnutrition were also included on this year's list. The list is drawn from MSF's operational activities in close to 70 countries, where the organisation's medical teams witnessed some of the worst humanitarian conditions.


Three distinct patterns dominated in 2009:
1) governments blocked life-saving assistance to trapped populations, including in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Sudan,

2) respect for civilian safety and neutral humanitarian action further eroded, such as in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, DRC, and Somalia,

3) people suffering from a host of largely ignored diseases were again neglected by the international community and those living with HIV/AIDS saw their chances of receiving life extending therapy further diminished.

DR Congo: Unrelenting Violence Stalks Civilians Throughout Eastern

Somalia: Citizens Endure Violence and Lack of Access to Health Care

Sudan: Precarious Situation for People in Southern Sudan and Darfur

Sri Lanka: Thousands Injured during the Final Stage of Decades-long War

Pakistan: Civilians Suffer From Violence & Neglect

Afghanistan: Politics of Aid Leaves many Afghans Cut off from Humanitarian Assistance

Northern Yemen: Civilians Trapped in Violent War

Children: Woefully Inadequate Funding Undermines Gains in Childhood Malnutrition Treatment

AIDS: Funding for AIDS Treatment Stagnating Despite Millions Still in Need

Neglected Diseases: Lack of R&D and Scale Up of Treatment Plagues Patients with Neglected Diseases
End of Bulletin:

Source for this Message:
Lydia Besong
Fourth Magazine
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)