| Christine Mulumba Campaign |
Removal statyed, last minute legal reps prevented Christine being removed on Thursday 5th July, attempts to get her bailed back to the Birmigham home will be made immediately. Christine Mulumba Campaign Christine Mulumba fled DR Congo in 2003 when Fernando Kutino the Archbishop of her church was imprisoned and she and other members of the church feared retribution. She and the church she was involved in were campaigning on human rights issues. She is due to be removed this Thursday on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET711 to DR Congo via Ethiopia, which is due to leave Heathrow Terminal 3 at 21:35 on Thursday 5th July. Archbishop Kutino launched a political/religious movement called Sauvons Congo (Save the Congo). It was created as a means to express people's frustrations over the failure of politicians to establish a democratic system of government and improve conditions for the Congolese people. Leaders of the movement denounced the problems that affect Congolese society such as corruption and human rights abuses. Government officials viewed the movement with suspicion and some criticized it severely. Home Office DRC Country report 2006 In 2003 Fernando Kutino was tried and imprisoned by a military
tribunal on unproven charges for criticizing "foreign influence" over
the DRC's transitional government and she and other members of
his Armée de Victoire, church feared retribution. The Armée
de Victoire, church was involved in campaigning against human rights
abuses in the DRC. Amnesty International have condemned the treatment
of the people of the church: The DR Congo is still effectively at war and is an incredibly unsafe country for anyone to be deported to. Both the government and the FDLR rebels arbitrarily execute civilians, and women in particular are at extremely high risk of systematic rape and sexual violence, as documented by the UN Mission in DR Congo Monthly Human Rights Assessment: http://www.monuc.org/News.aspx?newsID=14800 Christine applied for political asylum in the UK in August 2003 and has been living in Birmingham for almost 4 years. She had been signing on regularly at Solihull Immigration Reporting Centre. She was detained by immigration officials whilst signing there on Friday 29th June and informed that the Home Office had rejected her application for asylum in January. She had had no official communication about her status during this time and had been signing on without incident during the 6 months since her supposed refusal of asylum. She is now being held in Yarl's Wood detention centre, near Bedford, in preparation for her deportation from Heathrow. She has not been told why her claim for asylum in the UK was refused. It has taken almost 4 years for her claim to be processed - she claimed on her arrival in the UK in August 2003. She would like supporters to do anything they can to stop her deportation. Lynne Jones has been asked to call for a Ministerial Intervention on the grounds of the dangers of Christine being returned to DR Congo. What you can do to help: Fax: 020 7035 4745 (+ 44 207 035 4745 from outside the UK) 2) - Fax/email Ethiopian Airlines (Attached model letter Ethiopiaairlinefax.doc copy/amend/write your own version) and ask them not to aid the Border & Immigration Agency in removing Christine on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET711 to DR Congo via Ethiopia, which is due to leave Heathrow Terminal 3 at 21:35 on Thursday 5th July Fax: 00 - 251-11-661 1474 Please inform the campaign of any faxes/emails sent: |