Hazar Family, another fight, another campaign

The family were detained whilst reporting on Monday 22nd June taken to Dungavel IRC and removal directions set for yesterday morning Monday 29th June.

Refugee Action York sprang into action and major efforts were made to stop the removal. They had no legal team and submitted themselves; fresh evidence and an application on behalf of the child - faxed this to immigration service at Heathrow who faxed it for decision to Liverpool.

Result removal stayed 11:00 pm Sunday night ~ but the family are not out of danger yet!

Ibrahim and his parents must stay!
http://www.refugeeactionyork.org/

Gulbarhar and Ibrahim make the front page of the North-West Evening Mail
'Barrow Mum and Child Face Deportation'
http://tinyurl.com/BarrowMail

Enquiries/information:
Esme Madill
e.madill@btinternet.com

Urgent ~ Hazar Family Removal Monday morning 29th June 2009

We would be hugely grateful if you would be able to forward this message to anyone your know. The whole of Gulbahar's family are very distressed at the prospect of her being returned to Turkey.

With best wishes,
Mary McCormack
(Refugee Action York)

Dear All,

Thank you to all of you who are already aware of this case for your support and action. For those who are receiving this email for the first time, in summary, Gulbahar Hazar is a Kurdish national who came to the UK in 2003 to seek asylum following her detention and torture. She is a member of the MLKP, an organisation that actively opposes discrimination against Kurdish people. She comes from a family of political activists who have been persecuted by the Turkish authorities for decades: her cousin was shot dead aged 19 and all five of her siblings have been granted asylum. She and her family are in immediate danger if they are returned to Turkey. She has been in detention since Monday and is very distressed. Due to the fact that she was first detained in Dungavel (in Scotland) and it was planned to transfer her to Yarl's Wood (in England) - but she was too sick to be transferred due to her very fragile mental state -  neither Scottish nor English solicitors felt able to act for her so until Friday morning she was without any legal representation.

She has been booked on a flight with her partner and 2 year old son for 06.55am on Monday morning (she was kept apart from her son for 4 days after her arrest and both she and her son were devastated and have not recovered from this forced separation) . On Friday she was informed that this deportation had been cancelled but she has just been told she is fit to travel and will be deported as planned.

There are no emergency legal service that we can access. Unless we can persuade the airline not to transport her she has no hope.

Please, I cannot urge you strongly enough, call Turkish Airlines on 0208 745 6401 and / or 0844 800 6666 between 5am and 4pm tomorrow and from 5am on Monday. and say how concerned you are about her health and the fact that she and her family may be in danger. If you are able to it would make a real difference if you were able to fax the airline. The flight number is TK1982 from Heathrow. I attach a draft letter which you can obviously amend to reflect your own concerns. Given the lack of other avenues of action please forward this email/ask your faith groups, friendship networks, anyone who you feel may support this case to take action.

I am with Gulbahar's sister now and she wants to convey her thanks to everyone for their support. Please contact me if you would like any further details.

Thank you and I am sorry for sending out a mass email and for asking people to do something like this at the weekend.

With best wishes,

"Mary McCormack" <ma_mccormack@yahoo.co.uk>

Please sign and fax attached to:

Turkish Airlines
Fax: 0208-759 58 14 Or 01784 421726
Phone: 020 7471 66 66