Dear Home Secretary, dear Immigration Minister,
Christine is currently being held in Colnbrook Detention centre. I am urging you to stop the deportation of Christine to Uganda, the place where she was subject to abuse, rape and violence. Christine is in a fight for her life, and her right to live freely, in safety from persecution. In Uganda, Christine was subjected to sexual abuse in the family; she gave birth to her father’s child. To be forced back to Uganda means being driven back into that family as she has no one else there. Do not let it happen again that another woman will die in Uganda like Jackie Nanyonjo, a Ugandan lesbian who was so severely beaten and injured on the flight in January that she died following her deportation.
Christine was held for many months in Yarl’s Wood, and defeated six previous attempts to deport her. On October 15th 2012, the UKBA sent guards who dragged Christine naked through the corridors of the detention centre in an attempt to deport her. Her resistance and the organising of the MFJ women in YW sparked angry mass protests by over 200 detainees – an uprising of anger and defiance. Her courage and determination inspires women and men in the battle against criminalising people in need of asylum from persecution, abuse and violence. In November the UKBA was compelled to release Christine; her successful resistance to deportation was a lesson and source of confidence for detainees and for women and men in support of the human rights of asylum seekers to live a life in peace without persecution and fear for their lives. No deportation to death!
Early in March Christine was taken back into detention by the UKBA knowing that she was a hospital in-patient being treated for the effects of months of their psychological torture in Yarl’s Wood. The UKBA has moved her back and forth between detention centres and plans to deport her on Friday 29th March, on Kenya Airlines Flight KQ101 at 7pm from Heathrow.
The UKBA knows that Christine is in need of medical care and is not fit to fly, that she has no family to return to and her life will be at risk if she is forced back to Uganda.Deportation of asylum seekers back to danger in Uganda by the UK is killing them by the UK, as the deportation of Jackie Nanvonja has proven. Do not let happen this again! No deportation to death!
Dear Home Secretary, dear Immigration Minister, women and men are urging you that Christine’s deportation is stopped, that she is released from detention and granted immediate asylum in Britain.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Heinz Leitner
Vienna, Austria