Action alert: Stop removal of F.N. to Uganda

Source: NCADC

F.N. is a 34-year-old refugee from Uganda. As a gay man he fears persecution if forced to return to Uganda, where he has not lived for 18 years. At the moment he is detained in Colnbrook, and faces imminent removal on Tuesday 17 May 2011 at 20.00 on Kenya Airways flight KQ101.

F.N. was brought to the UK in 1993 at the age of 16 without papers, but was only found by immigration enforcement in January 2010. He was detained on suspicion of illegal entry to the country during a vehicle inspection at the Port of Tilbury, where he was in a car of a friend. After the inspection, F.N. claimed asylum on January 2010. Because of a lack of adequate legal representation and missing evidence to prove his over 10 years in the UK, the application was refused, as were his three appeals.

Being sent back to Uganda would be extremely dangerous to F.N as he is gay. Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, and the BBC recently stated that it is one of 'the world's worst places to be gay'. Homosexual people risk being incarcerated for up to 14 years, and if the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which was drafted in 2009, is enacted, homosexual people, who are HIV positive, would even face the death penalty. (see HRW)

Edited to add: We understand that the UKBA did not believe he is gay.

Human Rights Watch documented the following in their latest report of 2011:‘The bill, still pending at this writing, would also punish failure to report acts of homosexuality and prohibit the "promotion" of homosexuality through advocacy on sexual minority rights, threatening work of human rights groups. In early October 2010 a new newspaper, Rolling Stone, published photographs, names, and locations of some Ugandan lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights activists and individuals under a headline that included the phrase "Hang Them." Some have since gone into hiding. The government has taken no action to protect them.’ (See HRW)

Please help F.N. in his fight to stay in the UK by supporting his campaign! To send F.N. back to Uganda would be a violation of his human rights and put his life at risk.

Act Now

1) You can contact the Home Office to support F.N.

Click here for a sample model letter

Rt. Hon Theresa May, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office,
2 Marsham St London SW1 4DF

Fax: 020 7035 4745
(00 44 20 7035 4745 if you are faxing from outside UK)

Email:
mayt@parliament.uk
UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

2) Contact Kenya Airways

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Sam Okwulehie
Kenya Airways
World Business Centre 3,
Heathrow Airport, Hounslow,
Middlesex, TW62TA
Fax: 020 8745 5027 (Head Office)
Email: contact@kenya-airways.com