| Elizabeth & Hilary Belong to Darlington |
Elizabeth, Marie & John have left the UK "We would like to thank everyone for all the efforts that were made to try and keep the family in the UK" Sheilagh Williamson Elizabeth Kiwunga Marie and John, released Hi Everyone, Third attempt to remove Elizabeth & Hilary
The family have now grown to three with baby John just 14 weeks old. They are currently in Yarl's Wood IRC, due to be removed last Sunday the removal was stayed to allow a incubation period for anti-malarials which was only given to the children at the weekend. Reprieve for deport fear mum-of-two Backing among the region’s church leaders and politicians was growing for the plight of 33-year-old Elizabeth Kiwunga and her children, Marie, three, and John, 14 weeks. The Bishop of Jarrow, the Rt Rev Mark Bryant, attacked police for taking her away in one car and her two young children in another from their home in Darlington early on Wednesday. He said: “Are these the type of foundations we want for our society, where we are prepared to send somebody off to face possible imprisonment and torture? “From what I have been told her children were terrified when they were taken away separately from their mother.” Politicians including North East MEP Stephen Hughes and Durham City mayor Grenville Holland have also pledged their support for Mrs Kiwunga. Coun Holland described her treatment by the authorities as “heavy-handed in the extreme”. After being removed from her Darlington home, she was sent to a transit camp for asylum seekers in Bedfordshire. She was due to be deported with her children yesterday but this was put back because her children had not had their malaria checks. The Rev Sheilagh Williamson of St Columba’s Church, in Parkside, Darlington, has lead the campaign to prevent Ms Kiwunga’s removal. She said: “We made a new application to the Home Office sent by an independent wound expert who verified that the marks on her body were Full article, Journal Live, Monday 14th July 2008 Second attempt to remove Elizabeth & Hilary
Mother & child, currently detained in Yarl's Wood IRC, due to be forcibly removed from the UK, Monday 26th November on Ethiopian Airways Flight ET701 London Heathrow to Adis Ababa at 21.00 hrs. Elizabeth is now 26 weeks pregnant - and carrying a little boy. Elizabeth & Hilary Belong in Darlington *Elizabeth severed all connections with her family in Uganda so that they would not be persecuted because of their association with her with the result that she has no ties in Uganda and no one to take care of her during the later stages of her pregnancy. All her friends - and her fiancée - are in the UK. Please help us to keep them in Britain, we have updated the attached model letters. What you can do to help! Fax: 020 7035 3262 (00 44 20 7035 3262 if you are faxing from outside UK) 2. Fax/Phone/Email, Wolde Abza, Area Manager Ethiopean Airways UK & Ireland and urge him not to carry out the forced removal of Elizabeth and Hilary - you can download model fax 'ElizabethEA.doc' attached. You can copy, amend or write your own version - please quote Ethiopian Airways Flight ET701 London Heathrow to Adis Ababa at 21.00 hrs, Monday 26th November. Fax: 020 8747 9339 - from outside the UK + 44 20 8747 9339 Phone: 020 8987 7000 (9:00am to 5:30pm) Email: woldea@ethiopianairlines.com Please notify the Campaign of any faxes/emails sent: Urgent Action needed for Elizabeth & Hilary, currently detained in Yarl's Wood IRC and due to be forcibly removed from the UK, tomorrow Tuesday 20th November on Kenya Airways Flight KQ101 London Heathrow to Nairobi (onward to Kampala) at 19:00hrs.
Elizabeth & Hilary Belong to Darlington Elizabeth Kiwunga Rushamba came to the UK in 2002 with her then-husband as they were being persecuted in Uganda for speaking out against the government there. Their claim was rejected, as was the subsequent appeal. He left Elizabeth and she believes him to be living somewhere in South Africa. Elizabeth then applied for asylum on her own account and this too was rejected on the grounds that without her husband, it would be safe for her to return. After the abuse she received in Uganda, Elizabeth does not believe this to be the case.
Elizabeth and her daughter, Hilary Marie who is now 2 years old, came to live in Darlington in December 2006 and the first thing she did was to look for a church. They came to St. Columba's for the first time on Christmas Eve. Since then, Elizabeth and Hilary Marie have become established both in the church and the community as they attend services regularly and also go to numerous groups including Sure Start. She now has a fiancé and is pregnant with his child. Elizabeth and Hilary Marie were taken from their home early in the morning of 5th October when police and immigration officers banged on the windows and doors and they have been in Yarl's Wood Detention Centre ever since. The Home Office say that they will treat all persons with respect but we do not believe that this is the case. She was not allowed to have a shower, brush her teeth and she was given trousers to wear without any underwear. The things that were packed for her and her daughter were totally inappropriate. Her daughter's clothes are all too small and there were no shoes, only sandals. The Immigration Officer assured Reverend Sheilagh Williamson that Elizabeth was not being arrested. That being the case, why was she handcuffed? He also told her that she could see Elizabeth, but the van left Darlington before she could make the half-mile journey to get there. We have been told by a nun who works in Uganda that there is no provision for failed asylum seekers and the very best we can hope for Elizabeth is that she will be destitute and her children will be beggars. In the UK she has a fiancée who will support both her and her children. Elizabeth and Hilary Marie were not allowed bail and a flight has been booked for her on Tuesday 20th November at 19.00 hours from Heathrow Airport, flight KQ101 with Kenya Airlines. Elizabeth severed all connections with her family in Uganda so that they would not be persecuted because of their association with her with the result that she has no ties in Uganda and no one to take care of her during the later stages of her pregnancy. All her friends - and her fiancée - are in the UK. Elizabeth is now 23 weeks pregnant - and she is carrying a little boy. Please help us to keep them in Britain. What you can do to help! Fax: 020 7035 3262 (00 44 20 7035 3262 if you are faxing from outside UK) 2. Fax, Sam Okwulehie, Group Area Manager Kenya Airways and urge him not to carry out the forced removal of Elizabeth and Hilary - download model fax 'ElizabethKA.doc' . You can copy, amend or write your own version - please quote Kenya Airways Flight KQ101 London Heathrow to Nairobi (onward to Kampala) on Tuesday 20th November 2007 at 19:00hrs. Fax: 0178 488 8299 - from outside the UK + 44 1784 888 299 Please notify the Campaign of any faxes sent: |
