Marie Therese Nana

“I thought that I came in a safe nation which should protect me but I realise that I have thrown myself into the den of a lion.”

Marie Therese Njila Nana is a survivor of ritualised torture in Cameroon. She has sought sanctuary in the UK, but her treatment in detention has been shocking. She describes her experiences in Yarl’s Wood as being “humiliated, assaulted, abused, tortured mentally, physically and emotionally”.

 

Brutal treatment in Cameroon
Tortured and beaten by her family in a tribal ritual for converting religion, targeted by the church for refusing to marry an elder, and verbally abused by her new husband’s family, Marie Therese must stay in the UK in order to remain safe and free from persecution.

Marie Therese was born into a high-up family in her region of Cameroon - her mother was the daughter of the chief and her father a notable. As a child her close relatives abused her both physically and psychologically for bringing disrespect on their clan by converting to the Pentecostal church.

Fearing for her safety Marie Therese moved to another town to live and work with the Pentecostal church. She remained with the church for 10 years until they tried to force her to marry a church elder. When she was refused, she was condemned and forced to move again. Happily she met a man from another tribe and they married soon after. As her impending marriage became known, male members of her family came to her home in the night and beat her.

When her new husband left shortly after the wedding to live in Germany (where he has residence) the threats from both the church and her family escalated. Still wishing to have contact with her family and hoping for reconciliation, she accepted their invitation to meet with her parents believing they wanted to have renewed contact. For the next few days Marie Therese was beaten until she was barely conscious in a ritual her family believed would 'purify' her. Following this event, they carried her by force to the police station where she was beaten by policemen. Marie Therese could clearly not seek protection from the police if returned to Cameroon. As Amnesty have recently reported, “security forces generally enjoy impunity for acts amounting to human rights violations, including excessive use of force”.

The Home Office have not disbelieved her story but have listed organisations in Cameroon that could give help to Marie Therese, suggesting at the same time that she could locate to another different area where she would be ‘not known’. The NGOs that were listed were checked by researchers in the UK and in Cameroon, but they were campaigning groups, not able to offer protection to someone in Marie Therese’s situation. The assertions that were made about her being able to move to a completely different area, were disputed by a country expert who did not think she could go somewhere as a single woman, not originating from the region, and go unnoticed. It was also suggested that the only way she would be able to survive if returned in this way, having to hide from her family, would be to turn to prostitution.

The nightmare continues
After such a terrible ordeal, Marie Therese had hoped she would find understanding and sanctuary in the UK. Unforgivably, she has experienced quite the opposite.

“For nine month they have robbing me everything : my personality, my health, my dignity and freedom even my sleep.”

After claiming asylum, Marie Therese Nana was detained in Yarl’s Wood detention centre. Traumatised by her experiences in Cameroon, and having to flee her country, she was feeling very unwell. She was not prepared for what followed:

“I was in my room so poorly and I punched the emergency button because I needed help and I wasn't well, to my surprise the Officers came and shouted at me and I tried to apologize but he was so aggressive against me until his colleague began to try to calm him down.

Both went out and later on, the man came again and started shouting at me, telling me that we will get it tomorrow on your removal, I apologized and he went out, after both came again in my room and compelled me to follow them and I managed to walk and it took me times to follow them to the healthcare due to my poorly condition.”

This was not the end of Marie Therese’s ordeal. In August, she was issued with removal directions.

“I was called in the manager office who says you have a removal direction for tomorrow, we will move you to another unit, but I wanted to remain in my unit. Then He call four officers who came and grasped me, and one of them twisted my neck, I can’t forget this horrible moment, what to me is a torture, they twisted my hand back and handcuff me backward, they carried me like a luggage and I screamed because they were hurting me.”

Marie Therese was subjected to yet further abuse in October, during another removal attempt, when she was manhandled and taken ‘like luggage to prison’ while wearing only a night dress. She was locked up for several days, still only wearing a nightdress.

“About 4 am, four other officers came carrying me out of the prison, dumped me on the floor in another room and put me handcuffed frontward, one of the officer squeezed my mouth trying to open it, I dont no what she wanted to do but I felt myself treated unhuman and I was so humiliated, they carried me in the van and drove to the airport, in the van, I was so poorly and was very cold because I was only in a night dress, when we arrive on the checking point, they carry me like a luggage and put me on the floor, I was so shocked because I was in night dress and they were laughing and mocking at me, they didn’t even give me the opportunity to go to the toilet, after checking they carry me back to the van and drove to the plane, when we arrive, few minute later they said my flight has been cancelled and we came back to Yarl’s Wood. I felt unhuman because I can believe this attitude coming from human being like me, taking me with night dress and barefooted. When I came to Yarl’s Wood, officers at the reception refused to let me go back to my room with my night dress and compelled me to change before going to my room, I felt deeply so bad because they took me to the airport night dress and now they are refusing me to go back in my room in night dress. When I came back in my unit, officer were gathered in their office and laughed and mocked after me.

They started monitoring me day and night. I could not sleep because of the light on during the night and the door widely open. Having shower was the worst because under shower the officer open the door of the bathroom and watched me naked. Even others detained could watch out of the corridor, because all the door was opened, I asked the female officer to get in the bathroom so that I can shut the door, because I felt humiliated, I was being looked at by officers both males and females and other detainees passing along the corridor. She refused and continued to watch me naked drying myself. This happened for two days until I stopped taking showers. I cannot drink freely because I fear to go toilet because a man officer is there just to observe me. During this oppression UKBA sent me removal directions for 11th February knowing that I have a judicial review hearing on the 21st of February.

Am I a HUMAN BEING? I ran from my country to save my life and I just seek asylum After destroying me mentally more than 8 months now they plot to send me back to my killers.”

Campaign update 5 February 2013:

Marie Therese's legal representative was successful in obtaining an injunction, meaning the ticket for 11 February has been cancelled. This should now mean Marie Therese will get her judicial review heard.

Thank you to everyone who contacted Virgin Atlantic about Marie Therese's flight. The cancellation of Marie Therese's flight is not the end of the campaign.

Virgin Atlantic Airlines: Flying In The Face of Human Rights

Virgin are increasingly being used for deportation flights. Let them know that this is what they will become known for, despite their glamorous advertising campaign (Virgin Atlantic - flying in the face of ordinary). Their adverts present their staff as having superhuman powers. Their staff stand by while people being removed to danger are removed against their will, sometimes involving violent use of force. This is not superhuman, it is inhuman.