| Stop
the Deportation of Ebana Dieudonne
"Where I am now, all those who support me count as part of my
family"
Ebana Dieudonne Must Stay Campaign
Still here, Still Fighting
"I am alone here. I don't have any family here. Where
I am now, all those who support me count as part of my family. Thank you
to all the people who have phoned me and sent letters of support. I am
still here and I hope you can continue to support me."
Ebana Dieudonne, Monday 19th January 2004
Ebana
is still in the UK and will be until at least the 18th February which
gives lots of time to try and get Ebana's case back into the legal system
but more importantly to set up a campaign to persuade the Home Secretary
that Ebana should be allowed to remain in the UK on compassionate grounds
if legal actions fail.
If Ebana's case can be got back into the legal system a bail application
will be made. If an application is made Ebana will require sureties and
a place to live, if you can help with either please email
EbanaDieudonne@ncadc.org.uk.
Back Ground:
Ebana,
a national of Cameroon, is currently detained in Tinsley House Removal/Detention
Centre, where he has been since 10th December. Prior to Tinsley House,
he was held in Harmondsworth detention centre since 7th November.
Ebana is in a state of extreme distress. This state is exacerbated by
his detention which is affecting him physically and emotionally.
Ebana fears that if he is returned to Cameroon, he will be arrested upon
arrival and imprisoned or killed. He has good grounds for these fears.
Ebana has had a gay relationship with his employer, a high level politician,
for over two years. In Cameroon, homosexuality is illegal. Section 347
of the Penal Code criminalises sexual contacts with members of the same
sex with a penalty of up to 5 years' imprisonment.
Ebana identifies as gay, but was also married to a woman in Cameroon,
who was fully aware of his relationship with his employer.
Before Ebana left Cameroon he was visited by the police on the evening
of 22nd October in his home and questioned on the nature of his relationship
with his employer. Ebana denied any sexual contact. The police issued
a summons for him to come to the police station on the morning of the
29th October, and said he would be taken to the hospital for tests (anal
examinations are sometimes carried out in such cases supposedly to determine
if anal sex has occurred. These examinations are in fact unreliable and
have no scientific basis, but may be used as spurious evidence, and to
humiliate and abuse suspects).
Ebana suspects that his relationship with his employer had been observed
and informed upon due to political motivations in order to undermine his
employer’s political position.
After the police visit to Ebana’s home, his employer asked him to
provide passport photos of himself. On the evening of the 28th, his employer
called Ebana to his visit him, gave him travel documents, and ordered
him to be taken to the airport and out of the country. Ebana protested
that he should first say goodbye to his wife and family, but his employer
threatened to kill him if he did not leave immediately. Ebana complied,
and thus arrived in the UK.
Ebana has since phoned a friend in Cameroon who informed him his wife
was murdered in November after his departure. Ebana believes that his
wife would have sought out his employer after his sudden disappearance,
and that his employer would have had his wife murdered in order to silence
her.
Ebana fears that upon return he will be arrested and imprisoned by the
state for homosexuality, or murdered by his employer in order to protect
The Home Office has turned down Ebana’s application on grounds that
he is not a credible witness. However, his solicitor did not turn up to
the last hearing, so he was left to present his own case. Ebana has little
understanding of the asylum system, and indeed had never heard of asylum
until after his arrival in the UK. There are also difficulties in discussing
gay relationships and identity when one has just come from a country where
homosexuality can result in persecution and imprisonment.
Ebana will be at serious risk of imprisonment and death if he is returned
to the Cameroon. He has a good case to be allowed to remain in the UK
on grounds of human rights, in particular the right not to be returned
to a country where he is likely to be subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment
or punishment.
Several Cameroonian homosexuals have been awarded asylum in Belgium under
the Geneva Convention due to the persecutions they suffered in Cameroon.
The UK is also party to the Geneva Convention.
A previous attempt to remove Ebana on the 9th December failed.
What you can do to help:
1) Join/support the 'Ebana Dieudonne Must Say Campaign', send
an email to <EbanaDieudonne@ncadc.org.uk>. We will keep you up to
date on what is happening and send you petitions.
2)In
the meantime please keep direct contact with Ebana at Tynsley House, you
can phone him on 01293 434800 or fax a message on 01293 434825 or write
to,
3)
The campaign have produced a model
letter and a petition,
which they are asking people to sign and return to the campaign by email/snail
mail, they will then all be handed in at the same time to David Blunkett.
Ebana Dieudonne
Tinsley House Immigration Removal/detention Centre
Perimeter Road South
Gatwick Airport
West Sussex RH6 0PQ
Enquiries/further
information:
Ebana Dieudonne Must Stay Campaign
NCADC
131 Camberwell Road
London SE5 0HF
0121 554 6947
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