Abbas Najafi - Has left the UK
Sadly we lost our fight for Abass. He was forcibly removed on a military flight at 0140 from Gatwick on Tuesday 29 March.
Thanks to everyone for their support. I am looking into the possibility of a ECHR claim – but it's unlikely we will be able to keep in touch with Abass to do this.
He was very scared to go back; we gave him some traditional clothes and he was growing a beard so that he would not look like a westerner or western sympathiser on his return.
As a forced returnee we did not know what arrangements would be in place – if any – for him. Abass told us that he had been told he would be met by the UNHCR – but that was all he knew.
Many thanks to you all
Luci Woodland
<luci@starfishplus.co.uk>
Monday evening 14th March @ 18:38
We've heard from Abbas this pm that the date of the flight has been changed to 29/3. So we now have 2 weeks to try and move this on/sort it out.
Abbas Najafi Belongs to Southampton
Abbas Najafi is a 23 year old man from Jaghori Ghazni, Afghanistan and long time resident of Southampton. He was detained nine days ago and is currently in Haslar IRC and due to be forcibly removed from the UK @ 01:40 hrs on Charter Flight PVT 800 on Wednesday 16th March to Kabul.
Background follows after action requested:
You can help Abbas by:
1) Emailing/Faxing Theresa May, Home Secretary
Ask her to exercise her discretionary powers to stop the flight, release Abbas Najafi from detention and to grant him protection in the UK. Download model letter, Abbas Najafi TheresaMay.doc or alternatively write your own one. Please remember to quote Abbas Najafi's Home Office Reference number in any correspondence: N1090095/3.
Rt. Hon Theresa May, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office,
2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF
Fax: 020 7035 4745
Emails:
mayt@parliament.uk
Emails: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
"CIT - Treat Official" <CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk>
2) Email/Fax Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister: Ask him to intervene with the Home Secretary Theresa May to stop the forced removal of Abbas Najafi. Download model letter Abbas Najafi NickClegg.doc. You can copy, amend or write your own version - if you do please remember to include the following: Abbas Najafi, Home Office Reference: N1090095/3, currently in detention @ Haslar IRC and due to be forcibly removed from the UK @ 01:40 hrs on Charter Flight PVT 800 on Wednesday 16th March to Kabul.
Nick Clegg - Deputy Prime Minister's Office
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
Correspondence Section:
Tel: 020 7276 0527
Fax: 020 7276 0514
pscorrespondence@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk
Please let the campaign know of any Emails/faxes sent:
"Luci Woodland" <luci@starfishplus.co.uk>
Background: Abbas Najafi
He fled Afghanistan in 2003 following a land dispute with a neighbour, who killed his father and beat up his younger brother. He fled the country with his brother but they lost each other on their way to Europe in Turkey - and since then, have not been in touch.
In March 2004 Abbas arrived in the UK and claimed asylum, but was refused. After the Home Office refused Abbas' claim for asylum, he tried to appeal against this decision, but due to moving around NASS accommodation in the UK the letter with the notification containing information on the date and location for the hearing of the appeal arrived too late for him to attend. Furthermore, his DOB was not accepted on his arrival and consequently his case was heard as an adult with DOB 1/1/1986. However, since the hearing his DOB has been accepted and his claimed DOB of 5/9/1987 appears on HO documents since that time. It therefore appears that he was a minor whose case was erroneously heard as an adult.
In 2006, with the help of the Refugee Council, Abbas submitted a fresh asylum claim, but he never got an official decision of this application. Then, in 2010 he paid a solicitor to write a letter to the Home Office, asking for the decision. Consequently, his solicitor wrote to John Denham MP Southampton to assist them in finding an answer. In February 2011 John Denham found out that the decision was still pending. The answer stated that the case was being dealt with, but that it was a legacy case and that there might not be a decision before summer 2011.
Despite this, on Saturday 5th March 2011, Abbas was detained in Southampton and taken to Haslar IRC, and the solicitors that were supporting his case before, now claim that they did not work on his case, stating that they were only employed to write a letter. Nevertheless, they stated that they had received a notification from the HO that he has been detained for removal as his fresh claim was refused in 2007. However, Abbas has never received this notification and was not officially informed about this outcome.
The Home Office, in their reply to John Denham, have led Abbas to believe he has an active claim, and it is still not entirely certain that he doesn't. This has meant that he has not been able to act accordingly and look for proper legal representation or to take any other necessary steps.
Abbas needs time to find a new solicitor who can review his case, since his old one let him down. He, in fact, has never had a solicitor to take on his case properly and represent him adequately.
Abbas left Afghanistan in 2003 and spent 7 years of his life trying to find a safe secure life for himself here in the UK free from persecution. For several periods he was homeless, sleeping on the streets and without food. He then found friendship from the Hazara diaspora in Southampton and has been supported and cared for by members of the Community. The Hazara community are hard-working and respectful, value education and respect women's rights. The Hazara people of Afghanistan are its most culturally distinct, and most persecuted.
He is a dear and valued member of our community who helps and empathizes with others despite his own fears.
We need your help to get Abbas released from detention, and returned to his Southampton community, so fresh representation can be made. |